Possessed
by Muffinsweep11
Summary: "It was horrendible. She wasn't herself. Her hands were ablaze with flickering flames, her grey eyes holding the same fiery white hot anger –" "Wait, Glinda, Elphie's eyes aren't grey…Nessarose's are."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OMG I went to watch Shoshana Bean and Brad Little perform two nights ago, and when they started singing 'Seasons of Love' from RENT, i started hyperventilating till i nearly fainted on my friend beside me and after that i spazzed until the whole row i was seated in started to shake like an earthquake :] Guess that's the effect when you put Elphaba and the Phantom together. I still scream every time i think of it.**

**Okay enough with my fangirling rant. Here's another story (AGAIN - damn i should really get one of those multichaps done) i thought of in bed - the place where all the thinking happens.**

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In short: it was a mess.

In detail: Crops lay damaged everywhere, and wood splints were splayed across the fields. Broken farmers wept over their lost as they cleared up whatever was left of their harvest, and wary housewives took tentative steps out from under the shelter of their roofs, into the havoc the tornado had wreaked.

The Witch balanced on the edge of the wind, surveying the scene around her. Had it not been for the grief of her sister's death, Elphaba might've actually found the scenery quite...entrancing. The sunset sky was iridescent, streaks of purple and orange stretching across the horizon. With the farming and marketing industries temporarily stalled, the land below was peaceful and silent, with only an occasional gentle breeze passing by, rustling the leaves of the few remain crops scattered across the now almost barren fields.

She spotted the center of destruction: the blasted house. Even as she came closer to the wrecked up structure she still would not believe her sister was dead.

Her little sister was dead.

Nessarose was dead.

No matter how many times she replayed that sentence in her head, no matter how many ways she could rephrase it, it still sent that cold shock and sting of pain through her aching heart. Nothing could subdue that guilt she felt of betrayal she'd shown to Nessa. She'd been nothing but selfish since she defied gravity, thinking only of herself and not how her sister ever felt, being implicated as the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West. Sure, she's flown off the handle when she'd attempted to win over Boq, but it had been her fault as well, in some way. When Frex had died, Nessa could only cling to Boq for love; Elphaba hadn't been there to love her when no one else could.

She veered her broomstick to her destination, and landed with the grace of a cat, as silent as the grave. Dismounting, she peered through an opening in the cluster of plants, a pile of profanities rising up her throat as she spotted Glinda conversing with the owner of the house: Dorothy Gale. A glint of sunlight sparkled off the girl's feet, and Elphaba had to bite her lips till they bled to prevent that horrid string from escaping. Nessa's shoes.

Then Glinda sent the farm brat down the cursed Yellow Brick Road, and Elphaba had half the mind to go after the girl and scream at her to return Nessa's shoes. But she resisted, only to find her lunch arise to her mouth as Glinda picked a bouquet of flowers, resting it in front of the house.

"What a touching display of grief," Elphaba sneered, unable to take this false show of compassion any longer.

Glinda stood abruptly, trying to hide the surprise and shock. "I believe we have nothing more to say to each other," she said rigidly as she stuck up her chin, unwilling to show despondency.

"I wanted something to remember her by, and the only thing left of her were those shoes," growled Elphaba. "And now that wretched little farm girl has walked off with them!"

She drew in a breath, trying to limit her anger - she intended to save it for Dorothy. "So I'd appreciate some time," she said slowly, not taking her eyes of the blonde, "to say goodbye to my sister."

Glinda backed off, getting the message.

Elphaba crumpled upon the ground, her body trembling with grief. "Oh Nessa...forgive me..."

_It's all your fault, _nagged a voice at the back of her mind,_ All your fault..._

At this point, Elphaba felt she'd do anything to make up for her selfishness. _Oh, what can i do, Nessa?_

_Avenge, _said the voice again, _don't let them get away with it. Make them pay. Make them all pay._

"Don't blame yourself," came Glinda's voice. Elphaba felt a sudden surge of annoyance at the sound of the blonde. "It is dreadful, to have a house fall on you...but, accidents do happen..."

"You call _this,_ an accident?" asked Elphaba incredulously.

"Well, maybe not an accident - "

"Oh?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "Then what would you call it then?"

"A-a regime change?" stuttered Glinda, shrinking under the death glare Elphaba gave her, thanking Lurline looks did not kill, "Caused by a bizarre and u-unexpected twister of fate!"

"So you think cyclones just appear out of the blue?" yelled Elphaba, springing to her feet.

"Well, I don't know, I - "

"Of course you won't," spat Elphaba. "You're too busy telling everyone how _wonderful_ everything is. Too caught up pulling wool over their eyes and blinding them to the mess of Oz's bureaucracy!"

"I am a public figure now!" shot back Glinda. "People expect me to - "

"To _lie?" Yes, that's all she's ever done. Lied to me, lied to you._ Wait, the voice was talking in third person...whose voice was this inside her head?

"To be encouraging!" the Good Witch squeaked, slamming down her wand indignantly.

Elphaba couldn't help but liken her attitude to one of a petty child throwing a tantrum when she didn't get what she wanted.

"And what have you been doing?" continued Glinda. "Besides riding around on that filthy old thing?"

Elphaba rubbed the end of the broomstick. "Well, we can't all come and go by bubble, can we?" she snapped in exasperation. "Whose idea was it? The Wizard's? Even if it wasn't I'm sure he'd still take credit for it."

"Oh, all taking things that don't belong to us now, aren't we?"

Elphaba gritted her teeth. _Yes,_ s_he's the one who stole Boq's heart away. Make her pay._

"I can just imagine the difficulty for that dumb blonde brain of yours to comprehend that he would actually choose someone like me!" she hissed. "But face it Glinda, he doesn't love you, _h__e loves me_."

There was a stinging pain on her cheek as Glinda's hand made contact.

Something came over Elphaba in that moment. Realization struck, and suddenly it was all clear to her. Glinda, the popular girl, the one with all the glitz and glamour, was jealous of _her_, a green-skinned outcast with unprepossessing features. Elphaba couldn't bear the irony, so she let it out with a good witch-like cackle.

She finished it quickly, abruptly straightening and facing the blonde. "Happy now?" she asked nonchalantly.

Glinda lifted her chin defiantly. "Yes, I suppose i am."

"Good." Elphaba brought her hand down on one of Glinda's porcelain-like cheeks. "Then so am I."

Glinda gasped in angry shock of being slapped, and assumed a fighting stance, a spark of hurt flickering in her eyes.

_Make her pay...give her what she deserves._

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. Yes, she'd make Glinda sorry for everything she'd done.

She'd make all of them sorry.

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**A/N: Should i continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the review guyz! Well, here you go ;) Half of this chapter was done in a hair salon...**

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She felt a sensation tremble through her body, a feeling as fervid as a flame, exactly like the loathing she'd felt towards Glinda when they first met. Yet, that had been a childish spite, this...this was ten times stronger, like a raging untamable fire.

She channeled this white hot energy to her hands, which burst into flames.

Glinda let out a scream, her wand dropping to the ground with a clatter as her hands flew to her agape mouth. "Elphie! Your hands are on fire!"

Elphaba smirked at the sight of the blonde's shock, despite how much of a ditz Glinda was being. It made her feel in power, in control.

_Feels good, doesn't it? You have the potential to do whatever you want, Elphaba. People will have to succumb to you; you'll have all the power in the world._

It did feel good. It felt good to think that she beheld all the power, that no one could ever bring her down. She looked up at Glinda, who was beginning to inch back slowly, fearing her power.

_Finish her._

She lifted the flames from her hands, letting the energy hover above her palms, shaping it into a ball of swirling fire. Glinda's eyes grew as wide as saucers, steadily reaching down for her wand.

_Now!_

With all her might, Elphaba hurled the flaming orb in the Good Witch's direction, relishing in her power as pure fear took over the blonde's facial features.

There was a loud bang, like the clash of thunder, as Glinda countered the fiery blast with a blast of her own magic. The sky lit up with blinding white light and a shower of sparks. With the collisions of such forces came the burst of released energy, and both witches were knocked off their feet, and sent sprawling upon the dirt ground.

Elphaba was the first to recover, leaping up in a boiling rage that her attack had failed. Her anger only fueled her with more energy to release against Glinda, who was busy picking herself up and releasing a series of squeals about dirt on her dress, and soon the Good Witch found a bombard of fireballs headed her way. She let out another shriek.

"Elphaba Thropp! I demand you to stop this madness immediately!"

"Or what?" fleered Elphaba, smiling crudely. "You'll encase me in one of your pink bubbles and float me off?" Her palm lit up once more. "I don't think so!"

She threw it at Glinda, and this time as the blonde countered it once more, a rouge spark hit the hem of her flouncy bubble dress, setting the material on fire. Glinda squealed in shock and - without first muttering a series of unpleasantries and complaints, this time about ash on her dress - hurriedly put out the flame before it could severely damage any more her beloved dress.

Elphaba would've used this distraction to finish Glinda off, if it weren't for the iron grips that found her arms. She struggled furiously, shooting flames from her fingers, but her captors were like and itch she could not scratch.

"Sorry we didn't get here sooner, Lady Glinda," apologized one of the guards, as they hurried over to help Glinda off the ground.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "You used _Nessa's _death to get to _me_?" Elphaba growled. "I never thought you'd sink so low, Glinda." The blonde could only cower behind a guard.

"I didn't know, Elphie!" she protested. "I swear - "

"There's nothing to swear about now, Glinda," the green witch snapped coldly. She now had a personal score to settle with the blonde. How dare she!

She felt her insides boil, and that similar sensation washed over her again. That sense of betrayal was overwhelming, and she wanted to kill Glinda more than anything now.

_Do it!_ hissed the voice._  
_

Elphaba obeyed, generating as much energy enough to wipe out the last living lights of Glinda the Good.

But she never released it.

She'd been on the verge of doing so, yes, but she never released it. The magic inside her just seemed to dissipate along with her rage, as a distraction came swinging in in a blur of green and gold.*

Fiyero, the daft idiot, had arrived.

Something stirred inside her. _Him...the one who made Glinda push Boq away, the one whose misdeeds lead her to be blinded by jealousy..._

He raised his musket.

"Let the green girl go!" he growled through gritted teeth. Elphaba felt the grips on her tighten uncertainly. Seeing that his threat was not taking the desired effect, he turned on Glinda instead. "Or let all of Oz hear about how the Gale Force stood back and watched as Glinda the Good was slain."

This time the grips on her loosened - not completely, but enough for her to break free. Fiyero glanced over his shoulder, their eyes locking for a moment. Elphaba stared into his sky blue eyes that shone like diamonds, and yet, she didn't feel that shiver of electricity run down her spine, instead, she felt...nothing. She could somewhat feel her inner feelings battling and struggling inside her, yet as the emotions counteracted each other, overall there was only...neutralism. How had that happened? Just maybe over an hour ago she'd given herself to him as to a husband, loved him like her life depended on it, kissed him with a passionate fire to feed her hungry soul.

Those same hands that had touched her now thrust her her broom and her hat. She heard him yell at her to go, and she felt herself object. But for what reason? His plan had been a spontaneous one, one sprung without forethought or hindsight. He was fighting a lost battle, a battle only one could survive. It was folly, and now Elphaba could see that Fiyero still hadn't escaped that impulsive, happy-go-lucky college boy.

_And that's why you should leave him_, sneered the voice, _he isn't worth your time_. _Isn't worth our time._

And so she left. She ran, off into the dark forest, where darkness enclosed her, where blackness surrounded her, where she could wish futilely that her problems could just vanish and drown into the deep black ocean around her. With darkness and solitude came silence, and with no distraction or noise other than the buzz of night animals, she could hear her thoughts more clearly now. Yet, it was still like a torrent of miscible thoughts swirling around in her mind, a turmoil difficult to untangle.

Had she made the right choice? Should she have left Fiyero? No, no, no! Sweet Lurline, she'd made the ozdamn wrong choice! She could've gone down with him! She whipped out the Grimmerie, as her heart seemingly keeping time to the speed of sound. Her vision blurred by tears of desperation, she scourged the pages in a fervent madness, her breath coming out in shallow and hoarse gasps. Any spell...come on, anything...Eleka namen namen ah tum ah tum eleka namen...

_Why bother, Fabala? Why waste your time on such trivial matters? You have greater things to achieve than saving one foolish prince. He made Glinda jealous, he prompted her to kill. He's a murderer._

No, no! Fiyero had sacrificed so many things for her: his job, his reputation, his love, his life.

_He did it without thinking, didn't he? Didn't think of the consequences of his actions_.

Elphaba continued chanting. She hadn't contemplated the consequences of her actions either when she defied gravity.

_You did it for the good of Oz, he did it for his own selfish needs. He didn't care about Glinda right from the start, yet he let her continue with the falsehood and live under the prospect that she had his love. He hardly noticed you until the Lion cub incident, so wouldn't you say his love for you is infatuation? A passing affair? Won't you wonder, with all the different schools he's been to, how many girls he met? He only cares for himself and his impractical skintight pants. You just think you love him to satisfy the hunger of your weak heart._

Her chanting faltered to a stop. "I'm not _weak_!" she hissed.

_Is that so?_ mocked the voice. Then_ why does Glinda still live? Why does that bratty Dorothy girl still have the shoes? Those were a gift from father! Those were MY shoes!_

Something inside her snapped. All of a sudden she lost a control of her senses. She could see the dark forest around her, yet she could not feel the breeze brushing against her cheeks. She could see her limbs moving, yet she could not feel it. She could feel the raw, newfound, unnerving power churning and swirling inside her uncontrollably, being channelled to her palms, illuminating the forest in a blue orange glow. She felt herself falling, plunging into the deep abyss of her soul, a voice constantly whispering in her mind.

_Go to sleep Fabala...I'll help you solve your troubles...go to sleep, and when you wake up..._

_No, on second thought, you not going to wake up..._

_You're mine now._

*****Did Fiyero swing in on a vine? Cuz right now I'm just sorta wondering where you can find vines in a cornfield.

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**A/N: ...and the other half on the flight to London :] Yup, i'm finally in London, livin' a stone's throw away from Queens Theatre where_ Les Misérables _is :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just a heads up - a LOT of Les Mis and PotO references heading your way! Must be because I'm in London and just watched Les Mis yesterday afternoon...without falling asleep this time :]**

**Disclaimer: I must want to own Wicked, PotO or Les Mis so much that I keep forgetting to put this thing. But I don't own any of 'em - end of disclaiming.**

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Activity of the Witch had become more frequent ever since that day in Munchkinland. It was the same daily fear of her, except this time, Glinda joined in on that fear. She'd never really feared Elphie before, knowing the truth behind her deeds (painfully so - it was agony keeping her mouth shut about it to uphold her reputation), but now, it wasn't the usual 'fallacies and lies' as the Ozians called her speeches, but something more. Something wicked.

"She's burnt another quarter of the Corn Basket, My Lady! The wildfires are spreading faster that one can blink!"

"Lady Glinda! The Witch sent her flying monkeys to attack the Arjiki tribe in the Vinkus! They are clawing up everything in their path!"

"The Witch set fire to Crage Hall in Shiz, Madame! It's nothing but charred bricks now."

"My Lady! The Witch has activated Mount Runcible! Frottica and Wittica are buried in ashes. Few survived."

"The Witch killed a harmless villager last night, an innkeeper. Witnesses claim the old man had refused to let her have a room at the inn."

Every misdeed set a cold shiver down her spine...but murdering? That wasn't Elphaba at all. Elphie wouldn't even lay a finger on a mouse!

"What happened to you, Elphie?" she muttered to herself, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her blonde hair.

She began to notice something about The Witch's attacks...they all had something to do with Elphaba's past. Munchkinland being the place of her sister's death, Crage Hall being her college, and Frottica being Glinda's home. But what confounded Glinda was that the Witch had killed out of spite, and attacked the Arjiki, Fiyero's tribe. If Elphaba loved Fiyero (Glinda never failed to inwardly cringe at the very thought of their affair), she wouldn't do any harm to him, would she?

"Madame..." started the informant, breaking her out of her trance, "she's heading here to the Emerald City. She's never dared come so close before."

Glinda's head whipped up. Elphaba had a huge grudge against the Emerald City, especially the memories it evoked. If she had buried Glinda's home and was willing to destroy another unrelated country, the Good Witch could just imagine what she might do to the Emerald City.

"Ready the horses!" she cried. "No, on second thought, I'll go by bubble! No time to lose!" She got herself dressed (yes, she'd give up the luxury of travel but never her appearance; Her vanity and prioritization only stretched so far), and conjured a bubble, floating herself out the window on a mission to save the Emerald City from near destruction.

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Indeed, the Witch had been heading to the Emerald City, but not on the account of spite. The grudge was Elphaba's, but now, Nessa had no time for her problems with the big city. She wanted the shoes.

She could hear Elphaba protesting, as she'd done so many times before, but it was her soul that was trapped within Nessa's spirit.

_My spirit and your power, Fabala, _she said, _in one combined. Oh, the Wicked Witch is here inside your mind! _She threw her head back and let out a loud cackle, thundering across the skies.

She'd been tracking the girl for a while now, and occasionally sidetracked to punish her past. Crage Hall, where Elphaba had abandoned her. Frottica, Glinda's damned home.

She easily caught up with Dorothy, who'd picked up some companions along the way, the Scarecrow, and then the Tin Man. Of course, a talking tinman...it could only be Boq.

Yes, she'd tried to speak to him before he landed in the over-merry fellowship, and that proved unsuccessful.

She found him cutting trees near an abandoned woodshed, muttering curses about the Wicked Witch under his breath.

"Oh Boq," she said as she approached him. "Always bearing grudges."

The Tin man turned to find the speaker, and his eyes seemed to pop out of that tin can of his head.

"_You!_" he roared. "How dare you show your face to me!" He advanced threateningly, raised his axe. Yet, before he could do anything with it, the Witch snapped her fingers, rusting his hinges and immobilizing him.

She sashayed over to him, stroking his chin and mobilizing his jaw. "But Boq, I wasn't the one who turned you into this tin monstrosity," she said smoothly.

"Unhand me Witch!" cried Boq. "If you didn't, then who did?"

"Oh, it hasn't changed," she said, laughing coyly. "It's still Elphaba who did it."

She noticed Boq's eyes roll up and down as he surveyed her with utter confusion. "But...but you're Elphaba!"

The Witch cackled. "No, Master Boq, Elphaba no longer holds this body...I'm Nessarose, with whom your heart truly lies."

"I have no heart," snapped Boq. "And I demand you stop this prank immediately, _Elphaba_."

"Feisty, aren't you?" sneered the Witch."But this is no prank. I am not Elphaba. _We deserve each other, don't you see, this is our chance?"_ A cruel smile crept upon her face as the words she'd said to Boq those years ago began to shake his willpower. His eyes widened in shock, jaw hanging open. "No...no, stop it!" he begged.

The Witch was far from finished. "_We deserve each other, don't we Boq?_ And then you would take me up but the chair handles and whirl me around the dance floor of the Ozdust, and then - "

"Stop!" he cried. "Fine! I believe you are Nessa now!" An overwhelming satisfaction crept into her heart; evil had it's own way of finding dark happiness. Yet, it did not last long. "But now I remember," he said in a dangerously low voice, "it was you who shrunk my heart, wasn't it? You were the vile wretch who pushed every burden upon her sister! And now you are no less vile by possessing her! Get away from me, you old hag!"

Every word he said was a dagger in her. All dark satisfaction and black happiness she'd felt disappeared. No...he was _not_ doing this to her...

"I gave you my love when Glinda wouldn't," she seethed. "And now, how you've repaid me, denied me and betrayed me?"

Glowering, she snapped her fingers, securing his jaw and ridding him of speech. Levitating herself upon the roof of the woodshed, she stared up at the sky, letting out a ear-piercing screech of despair. No, this wasn't happening!

In her life, there had been no one like him anywhere. That night at the Ozdust, he had burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun. Her life had seemed to stop as if something was over, and something had scarcely begun. In her life, he'd been the one who touched her life, and now that he'd withdrawn from her, there was no one else.

_Got you all despaired now? But Lurline knows what you see in him, _mocked Elphaba_ Aren't you all depressed now - _

No! Boq was a trivial matter, like _Fiyero._

That seemed to silence her sister.

The shoes...they were what mattered.

As if on cue, the Witch heard the girl and the Scarecrow and their ridiculous singing as she approached. The Witch lay upon the roof, surveying as they freed Boq, as he lied to them about his situation, as they offered him a place in their traveling group.

"Come on, Mister Tin man!" pleaded the girl. "He will grant you that heart of yours! He must, now that we've come such a long way already!"

The Witch scoffed, perhaps a bit too loudly that caused the fellowship to start and turn towards her hiding place. Oh well, might as well make her presence known.

"You call that far?" she sneered, standing up. "Oh, but your journey has hardly begun." As she spoke, she took in the frightened looks on their faces. Well, in actuality only Dorothy looked scared out of her wits. Boq was staring at her with eyes as hard as stone, and the Scarecrow...well she couldn't really find words for his expression, she only knew he was mouthing something like 'Fae'.

"What's the matter, Scarecrow?" she jeered. "Want to play ball?" She summoned a fireball, launching it at the group. The Scarecrow let out a scream, and fell backwards upon his rear end, as far away from the fire as possible. Boq whipped off his funnel cap, patting out the fire in a haste.

The Witch felt a smirk tug at her lips. "Bravo Mister," she slurre. She didn't resist throwing another fireball.

"More tricks, you witch?" yelled Boq, stamping out the flames while the Scarecrow cowered behind a tree, disbelief written upon his face.

"Let's see, gentlemen," snapped the Witch. "How far you dare go!" Another jet of flame.

Boq advanced, despite Dorothy's pleas. "More deception? More violence?" he growled.

"Tin man, no..."

The Witch launched her fireballs so that it landed a mere inch from him. "That's right, that's right, Mister, come this way!"

Boq, undeterred even as flames zipped past his face, continued advancing, his steps slow but resolute. His eyes flashed with malevolent rage and hunger to exterminate the woman of his ruination.

Dorothy rushed forward. "Tin man, don't..."

But Boq whipped around, his eyes beholding a warning glare that would tolerate no argument. "Stay back!"

The Witch smirked down at the tin can blocking her from her shoes. "I'm here, I'm here, Mister," she coaxed. "Come and meet your angel of death!" Yes, she wanted to make him pay, make him rue the day he denied her love.

Boq raised the axe, prepared to throw, when Dorothy grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him away. "Tin man, come back!" The girl grabbed the Scarecrow from his hiding place, dragging the two along as she fled down the Yellow Brick Road and out of sight.

Upon the roof, the Witch narrowed her eyes. First Glinda, now Boq. One more betrayer to add to her overwhelming list.

"So be it," she growled. "Let it be war..._upon you both_!"

She let out yet another scream of anguish, as the flames rose all around her, devouring the woodshed in a flurry of angry burning red.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A thank you to all reviewers! I was so happy that i got so distracted that I climbed to the roof of the hotel.**

**The Wickedrae: I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT but let's just say, thanks :]**

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The reader would have now realized that the Scarecrow was in fact Fiyero (If not, you're probably in the wrong fandom here), and so, let us journey into the depths of his conscience, for his opinions and intentions. He'd joined the company of Dorothy and her yapping terrier Toto in gratitude of her help getting him off the blasted pole. He'd done nothing but hang there thinking of Elphaba, replaying the moment she'd left him to face the music alone. He remembered the look in her eye when they had locked, the emptiness and nonchalance that hung in those cerulean blue orbs. He didn't understand the change in her. No matter, he left those questions to Glinda, should he ever got off the pole. He'd seen bright lights flashing through the sky before he arrived, and that was in fact why he'd decided to see if she was alright.

All that thinking was starting to make his head ache, so he was truly grateful when Dorothy had shown up, offered him a chance to journey with him to the Emerald City. He'd expected the singing, with all her jolly mood despite being in a foreign world with directions _Glinda_ had given. However, he hadn't expected to meet Elphaba halfway to the Emerald City, and he hadn't at all anticipated her fiery attack. Something was off about her. He couldn't place a finger on it, but there was something different about the way she carried herself. There was a delirious air around her during that encounter.

Fiyero (we shall henceforth call him by no other name) naturally walked quite unsteadily, having no bone support in his straw body. Who'd taken his whole body and replaced it with straw, he highly suspected Elphaba, being the most powerful witch he'd known. But why turn him into a scarecrow, and then torment him with threats to his weakness? There was definitely more than what met the eye.

Glinda was in the Emerald City. Perhaps, when he reached the city he could confide with the Good Witch and see if she knew something he didn't.

That was, if they reached the city in one piece.

"_Let's see, gentlemen, how far you dare go!"_

The Witch's words rang out in his head, and they were now the main reason why he walked unsteadily. They were the reason Dorothy clung to him like a scared five year old, the reason why the Tin Man was so determined to get to the Emerald City. Elphaba had never sounded more...deranged before. In fact, she had sounded completely unhinged.

Great, now she truly was a vegetable.

He glanced over at the new companions who walked beside him. The Tin man, who walked with an upright air of arrogance, and the Cowardly Lion, who walked with a trembling air of cowardice. Fiyero couldn't deny his recognition of the Lion, being the exact same Cub he'd rescued with Elphaba. The cause of the moment they spent later taking in each other, the moment sparks first flew. The Lion showed no sign of recognizing him, but Fiyero still felt unsettled by the Animal's presence and the memories he brought, of those times long ago.

It seemed so long ago, how young and innocent they were. And now Elphaba was a number one public enemy hurling balls at him and he was accompanying her so-called arch-nemesis to see the very man he'd betrayed.

The Emerald City loomed over them in an array of glimmering green. A collective gasp escaped from the group, though Fiyero's was a nervous hitch in the throat. All the green reminded him of Elphaba, her long gangly green arms caressing him lovingly beneath the moonless sky, her green face turning a darker shade of emerald each time she blushed. Where had that Elphaba gone?

Then suddenly, Dorothy collapsed.

It all happened in a blur. She fell to the ground, the red poppies below her cushioning her fall. The Cowardly Lion cried out in fear. "It's the Witch! This can only be her witchery!" He began to hyperventilate in his panic, and soon, he too, collapsed. The Tin man stood frozen, and thinking them dead, began to sob, rusting his hinges badly and immobilizing him once more. Hell and damnation! The Tin man, who'd been so strong just a few moments ago, was sent into despair because of the Witch's magic? Perhaps Fiyero had underestimated her abilities after all.

He rushed to Dorothy's side, heaving a sigh of relief as he saw her chest rise up and down. She seemed almost peaceful, as if she were...sleeping.

Then a cackle echoed through the air, piercing through his thoughts and chilling him to the b - straw. Why?

"Oh my, the Tin man defeated all because his friends fell prey to poppies," she mocked, and Fiyero narrowed his eyes. So she'd enchanted the poppies. "Don't look so surprised, Scarecrow, red is naturally the color of desire, it draws people to it, just as her shoes are doing to me!" She let out another cackle, her hair whipping in the wind, giving her a crazed look that seemed to match her mind. She began to descend, Fiyero backing away slightly as the green witch neared the condemned group.

Yet, she never reached them, for a shill shriek pierced the air.

"Release them, you _witch_!"

Fiyero never thought he'd be so happy to see the blonde. Glinda sailed down in that ridiculous pink bubble of hers, an angry determination crossing her face. She muttered a spell under her breath, and almost immediately Dorothy's eyes fluttered open, as did the Lion stumble to his feet. They wasted no time oiling the Tin man, but neither did the Witch in expressing her fury.

"You have no business here Glinda," she growled. "You had no right to interfere!" She sent a jet of flame at the Good Witch, who, now prepared for the attacks, countered it with a less explosive blast of magic.

"I have every right!" she retorted, dodging yet another attack from the She motioned to Fiyero to get the company away to within the safety of the walls of the Emerald City, who obliged, dragging a shivering Lion, a petrified Dorothy and a swearing Tin man to the city gates with . "This is my territory," she continued, faltering slightly as she spoke, "and as long as my blood runs in my veins, you will not set foot in that city."

"Then, my sweet, I will bleed you dry if it means getting what i want." The Witch's very tone not only snapped her back to the dangers of her current situation, but also made Glinda's blood run cold. All courage she'd shown a few moments ago fled her. "And I _always_ get what I want."

"Y-you're a vampire too?" she squeaked out of her silliness. As of now, her mind was anything but straight. She no longer saw her best friend - she saw a cold, heartless murderer.

The Witch raised an eyebrow. "Worse than one," she replied. "Hell would not take vampires, but hell would gladly accept me."

Glinda felt herself begin to tremble. Come on, Glinda, pull it together, don't be so...pathetic.

"Don't worry, my pretty, I'll spare your meager little life today." Any other day, Glinda would've slapped whoever called her life small and worthless, but this wasn't any other day.

The Witch stared off into the distance, her eyes filling with livid fury as the company made it past the city gates. Her mission had failed. She'd have to get them next time, when the brat Glinda was not around to interfere.

"You," she said, jabbing a spindly green finger at Glinda, "will rue this day, the day you decided to cross my path. I'll let you off this time..._again_ - " disgust was evident in her voice, but at whom? - "and next time i see that pretty face of yours..." She left her threat hanging in the air as she cackled her way into the skies above, leaving Glinda to her jumbled up mind and mixture of possible reactions to her friend's strange transformation.

Elphie...what happened to you?

* * *

"Glinda, we need to talk."

"It's Lady Glinda to you, and - " Glinda halted as she looked up from her papers, her gaze falling on where Fiyero now stood at the doorway. "Scarcrow," she greeted, nodding her head politely. "I daresay you had a fabulous audience with the Wizard?"

"Don't even bring up that preposterous man, Glinda," Fiyero growled. The Wizard was the last person he wanted to talk about now, especially after the task he'd been given...no, he couldn't let Glinda know; it would break her heart. Or wouldn't it?

"_Lady_ Glinda," Glinda corrected, oblivious to the fact that Fiyero cared nothing of titles at the moment. "And how do you know the Wizard is a man?"

A lump of panic formed in his throat. Was he ready to reveal his identity to Glinda? He would need to eventually, if he were to help Elphaba.

"I...I used to work for him," he spluttered out finally.

"Is that so?" Glinda's eyebrows were now creeping up her forehead. "Only the Captain of the Guard knows such confidential details." Her tone was getting suspicious. Fiyero cursed at himself for dropping such a huge hint. There was no going back now.

"I was the Captain of the Guard once," he admitted.

Glinda's eyes widened as she observed Fiyero for a moment. "You...a _Scarecrow_?"

Fiyero barely prevented his forehead from meeting the door. "Ozdammit, Galinda, this conversation isn't supposed to be about me - "

"What did you just call me?" Fiyero spun to face the blonde, whose jaw looked like it could hit the ground.

Bloody hell.

"I...uh..."

"You called me Galinda." The blonde arose from her seat, stepping slowly towards Fiyero. "Only schoolmates from my college years know that name, and you can't be the last Captain of the Guard, whom I went to school with...he's de - " Suddenly she stopped. If her eyes could get any bigger, they just did. Her jaw hung open so hugely until Fiyero swore he could see down her larynx.

"F-f-fi-fiyero?!"

And then she collapsed.

Fiyero could only stand there, staring at her unconscious form, unable to help the imminent feeling of deja vu.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh sweet Oz I'm watching Wicked tonight! *fangirly screaming* And I'm gonna make sure my grandmother doesn't fall asleep this time - how does one fall asleep in Wicked anyways?**

**Oh right, and I edited the previous chapter, added in another chunk. If you haven't read it, sorry for making you press that 'prev' button. (11/11/13)**

**If you've read the revised version, KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. **

* * *

"You can stop staring now."

Glinda didn't shift.

"Okay, wrong choice of words. You can stop _gawking_ now."

Still the blonde opposite him remained wide-eyed and unable to collect her jaw from the ground.

"Glinda! Snap out of it!" This time he swept across the room in long strides and attempted shake the Good Witch out of her stupor, which proved to fail as she offered no resistance, her blonde locks swaying with the motion of her head. Still her cerulean eyes did not shrink back to their original size.

That only left him with one choice. "Glinda!" he practically shouted. "Your wardrobe's on fire!"

That did it. Glinda started with a shriek that seemed to burst his eardrums, standing up, and grabbing a nearby water jug, threw it towards her wardrobe, which, she realized after moments of blinking, was perfectly safe.

"Holy Shiz, Scarecrow you bastard!" she spun around to face him. "You nearly made me wet my - "

"Galinda," he said, intentionally using her birth name to help her remember his identity. "This isn't about your dresses. This is about Elphaba!"

Glinda stilled at the mention of her friend's name. Her eyes widened once more, but this time, they held not disbelief, bur fear. "W-what about her?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" he said irritably. "About her sudden change in...temperament."

"She never did have very good one to begin with," muttered Glinda.

"You know what I mean!" snapped Fiyero. "You - "

"_No, I don't know what you mean_!" Glinda shouted suddenly. Her sudden rise in temper immediately silenced Fiyero. "I'm still sorting out my mind here, alright? I don't always have my best friend suddenly returning after two years of no contact as a wanted criminal, and stealing my fiance away from me! The next thing I know she's hurling fireballs at me and out for my blood, and now her boyfriend's sitting across me as a Scarecrow spending tea with me! Sure, this 'dumb blonde brain' of mine- " she flinched at the remembrance of Elphaba's harsh words "- can process that all in under an hour! Hell, I still haven't got over the fact that Elphaba had defied her childhood hero!"

Fiyero remained silent as he listened to her raging rant, never once taking his eyes off her. He now saw her for what she truly was, something he'd never noticed before. Under all her layers of bubble and cheer, she was a lonely, lost, scared and helpless girl with too many forbidden truths for a burden. She had no one to console in, not after he'd left. He felt a stab of guilt as he was reminded of his shallow, selfish personality he'd tried so hard to remove.

"Glinda..." he rest a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "I'm...I'm sorry. For everything."

She turned her tearstained, mascara-smudged face to look at him, before sagging her shoulders rather tiredly. "I don't need your pity."

"You don't," agreed Fiyero. "You need a shoulder, a support. I'm here, let me be your shelter." He spread his straw arms out.

Glinda dove into them, finally letting down any remaining facade she's worn, her body wracking with huge sobs of despair. Fiyero held her close, letting her melt in his embrace, stroking her golden curls gently as she cried.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "It's just...everything happened so fast. She was so terrifying, Fifi. It was _horrendible_."

"Shhh," soothed Fiyero. "It's alright, she can't harm you now."

"Oh, her hands were ablaze with flickering flames...Oz, Fiyero her eyes, it's as if they're burning me with that dark, treacherous stare of hatred. U don't think those grey eyes will every leave me alone. And that voice, Lurline she told me she always gets what she wants! She - "

She paused suddenly, realizing how tense Fiyero had become - if a Scarecrow could even stiffen.

"Glin..." he started slowly, looking down at the petite woman he held in his arms, "Elphaba's eyes aren't grey...and from the way you describe her, she's starting to sound like - "

Fiyero stopped, his heart seemingly skipping a beat.. No...it couldn't be. Impossible.

_With Elphaba, anything is possible_, reasoned his conscience.

"Fifi? What is it?"

She drew back and stared up at Fiyero's face, only to realize it had broke out into a smile of delight.

"I knew it! Oh sweet Oz, thank Lurline!" he hurriedly got up, pacing around the rolm with a new spring in his step. "Oh Glinda, Elphaba's still good!"

Glinda stiffened on her seat. "What?"

"She hasn't turned evil, Glin, oh this is brilliant!" He let out a laugh, one so joyous and elated that could light up the whole Emerald City.

"F-fiyero..." Glinda stammered uncertainly. "Do you need me to fetch a doctor?"

"No, no!" he said, grinning as he ran his hand through his straw hair. "I'm perfectly sane! We haven't lost Elphaba! This all wasn't her fault!"

"Fiyero!" Glinda nearly shouted. "She _murdered_!"

Fiyero stopped his pacing, and the grin faded. "That vile wretch of a woman," he growled. "Can she not leave her sister alone?" He slammed his fists down upon her desk, causing her to start.

"W-what?" stuttered Glinda. "What does this have to do with Nessa?"

"It has _everything_ to do with Nessa," said Fiyero grimly. "Elphaba...she never did any of those misdeeds...she's been _possessed_."

Glinda's hand flew to her mouth. "She had sex?"

"Preci - WHAT?!"

"She had sexual intercourse?" shrieked Glinda, springing to her feet.

Fiyero couldn't believe his ears. "WHAT? Oz, Glinda, why the hell would you think that?!"

"Because...because..." she fumbled as she tried to find an explanation. "Because when she came to the cornfields the other day, her dress was more rumpled than usual, her hair was tousled, and she looked real tired, as if she'd been doing some...arduous activity." Fiyero felt heat rising to his cheeks - could a scarecrow even blush?

"Well...she could've been flying...and when you're a fugitive, you don't get much sleep..." his reasons were there, but his tone was not.

"And your hair was all tangled too!" cried Glinda accusingly. She slapped her forehead. "Of course! What else could you two have been doing in a remote forest all alone? Eating potato chips and singing about defying 'em?"

An uncomfortable silence fell over them, as Fiyero flopped into an armchair, Glinda eyed him warily, watching his every move and every twitch.

"Okay, alright, we did have a tryst..." began Fiyero, but Glinda raised a skeptical eyebrow of dissatisfaction. "Fine, we had an _ardent_ tryst...but our clothes were kept _on_!" he added hurriedly. "Oz, that's not even the point, Glin, the point is that Elphaba is possessed, in the sense she no longer holds any power over her own body, not whatever you...suggested."

It was a moment before Glinda spoke again.

"So...I'm supposed to believe that your theoretical explanation of Elphie's mood swing is the result of a supernatural phenomenon?"

"What else can it be?" asked Fiyero. "What else can get her acting completely like her bratty, spoiled, bossy little sister Nessarose?"

Again, an uncanny silence fell over the room as Glinda struggled to get a sense of her string of incoherent thoughts.

"Nessarose is alive?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"Her spirit, detached from the body through forbidden black magic," confirmed Fiyero darkly. "Tell me, when did Elphaba start acting...differently?"

Glinda thought about it for a moment. "She bent down to grieve in front of the house, and then when she looked up to glare at me, I think I might've caught a flash of grey spark in her eyes.

"It must be then," said Fiyero, nodding. "Her spirit latched on to the most magically radiative source." Noticing the blonde's failure to comprehend, he elaborated, "In short, Elphaba is a black magic magnet."

"So all this time..." breathed Glinda, "I was blaming Elphaba for words spoken by Nessarose?"

"The effect of the possession didn't take place immediately," said Fiyero, twirling a strand if straw on the crown of his head. "I could see it in her eyes that she was struggling, but eventually the black magic must've taken her when she was at breaking point, seeing how quick she now is in making her decisions about attacks, for now there is only one dominant mind in control, and that's Nessa's."

Now the mere mention of that name sent shivers up Glinda's spine.

"So is Elphie...?" She swallowed hard.

"No," Fiyero cut in gruffly. "She's still in there, I'm sure."

"Then we'll need to help her!" exclaimed Glinda. "We gotta get that bitch out of her!"

"Glinda, language!"

"I don't care, anyone who harms Elphie is a bi - " her sentence was cut off as a large handful of straw was shoved into her mouth.

"You do realize that most of them are here in this palace, don't you?" asked Fiyero, as she spluttered out chunks of straw with a disgusted squeal.

Glinda pouted. "I do now. Pray tell, what did the _Wizard_ speak to you about?"

Fiyero felt his mouth run dry. He knew this was unavoidable. "Glinda...that man seeks to be omnipotent, to be in full power, and to do that...he has to - "

"Eliminate Elphaba," finished Glinda with a gasp of cold realization. "Are you...?"

Fiyero shook his head sadly.

"I don't know, Glin," he replied. "I really don't know."

* * *

**A/N: Glinda's comment on defying potato chips is an actual reference to my parody. Well, not fully mine...it was co-written with Elphaba-WWW. Up till now I'm still considering posting it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I think I've ranted enough in my other stories' A/Ns about my London Wicked experience...so yeah...let's just say I was singing Wicked songs on the plane flight back home.**

* * *

"Lady Glinda, the Tin man is rioting downstairs."

"What?" Both Fiyero and Glinda's heads snapped up to look at the informant, who was at the door rubbing his wrists anxiously.

"The Tin man is stirring up trouble, ma'am," said the informant. "And the strangest thing is..." He swallowed nervously.

"Speak, Feloux," said Glinda.

"It's Felix," the man corrected politely. "And Madame Morrible isn't taking any action to help the situation...in fact..."

"Go on..." prompted Fiyero.

Felix's eyes did a double take on the scarecrow sitting next to the Good Witch. "She's, um...supporting it."

Without another word, Glinda stood and swept out of the room, Fiyero following suit.

Turns out, the Tin man was indeed causing a riot out in the city.

"Wickedness must be punished!" he yelled, and the denizens roared in agreement, brandishing pitchforks and torches and Punjab lassos.

"Good luck to the Witch Hunters!" shouted Morrible from a palace balcony.

Fiyero cast Glinda a sidelong glance, to see her jaw slacked once more, observing the scene with eyes as large as saucers. Then she turned and they locked eyes, each reading the other expressions and nodding in understanding, before bolting in their separate ways.

Fiyero wove through the shouting crowd and clambered upon the platform rise to where the Tin man stood.

"Tin man!" he hissed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"This is not just a service to the Wizard," the Tin man whispered back. "I have a personal score to settle with Ne - with the Witch!"

His near slip up caused Fiyero to freeze. "You know Nessarose Thropp?"

The Tin man looked at him. "Of course, anyone knows that Wicked Witch of the East," he snarled, his tin face scrunching up in disgust as he mentioned the title.

"But why do you call the Wicked Witch of the West Nessarose?" asked Fiyero, carefully choosing his tone.

Now it was the Tin man's turn to freeze. "I-I..."

Fiyero observed his travelling partner as he stuttered. The Tin man had almost called the Witch Nessarose. It would've been surprising enough had he almost said Elphaba, but if he called her Nessa, that would mean -

"You know about the possession!" gasped Fiyero. "You went to Shiz didn't you? That's the only way you could know about the Thropp sisters! Elphaba also turned you into...this to save your life, for whatever reason, didn't she?" How he was even coming up with all this inference, Fiyero had no clue. "Who were you?"

The Tin man stared at Fiyero, dumbfounded. "I-I think that would be my speech you just stole...how do you know all this?"

Fiyero ignored the question. "Who are you?"

"My Shiz schoolmates knew me as Boq."

"Holy mackerel! Boq you - " Oh gosh, stay on your two feet, Fiyero, he told himself.

"You still haven't given me an answer," reminded the Tin man - or Boq, as we shall now refer him to as.

"Erm..." Fiyero cleared his throat uncertainly. He knew the munchkin boy had had a crush on Glinda once back at Shiz, noticing how much he had goggled at the blonde. "Boq, before I tell you anything...can you put the axe down?"

Luckily, Boq did so without any unconformity.

"Boq..." he took a deep breath. "I'm Fiyero."

There was a crash on the rise as tin met wood, followed by a cry of frustration.

"Oz, will people quit doing that?"

* * *

"Come on Fifi, you know that it's a natural reaction to faint when you're told something really shocking, like your schoolmate's actually been right next to you the whole time, as a Scarecrow!"

"Well I didn't pass out cold in front of the entire Emerald City when I learnt who Boq was!"

"You're different!" argued Glinda.

Seeing that this was going nowhere, Fiyero changed the topic.

"So how'd _your_ confrontation with Morrible turn out?" he asked instead.

Glinda paled. "She...she didn't even let me say anything...and I found out that she was the one who caused the Twister, and she keeps telling me this...all this madness is what I truly desired...to have Elphaba out of the way so I can...so I can have all the glory." At this point the blonde had begun to sob, and Fiyero once again drew her in close and comforted her.

"It doesn't matter what the carp said," he told her, smiling as her face brightened a little at his joke. "What matters is who you really are, your true self, and that's a bright, optimistic, sunny blonde girl who I see in my arms." Glinda rubbed away her tears, smiling up at him.

"Thank you, Fiyero," she said softly. "You truly are a great friend to have."

They stayed in the embrace for a while, enjoying the solitude of Glinda's room, no matter how pink it was, before Glinda pulled back, her face set in a serious expression of worry.

"About Elphaba..."

Fiyero set his jaw grimly. "Yes, about Elphaba. You need to go talk to her."

"Why me? Why not you?" asked Glinda, getting slightly nervous. "She hates me!"

"Under Nessa's influence," noted Fiyero. "You were her closest friend, Glinda, you're the one who can connect with her the most. And besides, I'm stuck with Dorothy and Co. and we'll be hunting down the Witch with the Witch Hunters not far behind us; I can't talk to her while she's busy hurling fireballs at the hunters. You can get a head-start...if you leave now." Fiyero glanced up worriedly, half expecting Brrr to burst into the room yelling that it was time to go.

"She won't listen!" protested Glinda.

"Maybe not," agreed Fiyero. "But maybe she will. You need to break Nessarose so that Elphaba can gain control again, or you can encourage her. I don't know exactly how black magic works, but till you try you'll never know."

"Were you stalking us?" asked Glinda, unable to shrug off the feeling that Fiyero had just made a reference.

"What...?" Okay, maybe not.

"Never mind!" she said hurriedly, conjuring a bubble. "Wish me luck, Fiyero Tigelaar!"

Fiyero saluted. "Bring her home, Glinda Upland."

* * *

**A/N: Hey hey anyone caught my Les Mis reference? Wait am I going a bit overboard with 'em?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This story's probably coming to an end soon - wow never have i even reached the end of any of my multichaps. All thanks to every review that spurred me to write more ;] _Galinda of Canada, Elphaba-WWW, _and _Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416, _it's nice to know I ain't alone ;D**

* * *

Kiamo Ko was located in the darkest shadows of the Arjiki mountains, with it's dark looming structure and pointed spiked turrets, it almost seemed to be part of the roughed mountain outline, that Glinda nearly missed it. She felt the hairs on the back of her slim neck stand on ends as she approached the black foreboding castle in her quite out-of-place bright pink bubble.

But in there was her best friend, her bestest friend whom she'd attempted to Galindafy, who had comforted her when she was down. Her best friend who now needed her help. Glinda still had no clue how to fully extort Nessa's spirit from Elphaba's body, and she doubted she'll ever find a way. But she was still willing to try anyways.

"Hang in there, Elphie," Glinda whispered, mustering whatever little courage she had. "I'm coming."

* * *

The girl sure could cry.

It had been half an hour since she'd sent her monkeys to kidnap her and lock her in the tower, and the damn shoe-thief had done nothing but cry.

"Oh, for the sake of Kumbrica's lingerie, _shut up_!" the Witch yelled finally, loud enough for the girl to hear. "You have thirty more minutes! If you want to see your Auntie Em and Uncle Whats-his-name, get those blinkin' shoes off your feet!" She headed back to her room in a huff, cursing under her breath.

"Takes a dead woman's shoes," she muttered. "Must've been raised in a barn!"

_Well, you aren't exactly dead._

"Yes," The Witch smiled cruelly, "I'm not, but the girl will be in half an hour."

She felt a cold shiver run through her body, as Elphaba once again tried to fight the magic binding her. Unsuccessfully, as always.

_Have you lost yourself at last in your lust for those shoes? That you'd murder a ten-year-old child in cold blood to get them?_

"The fate that condemns me to wallow in blood," snarled the Witch, "also denies me the joys of Father's most precious gift to me! She _will_ give me the shoes!"

_I am beginning to wonder who really is the beautifully tragic one here._

The Witch almost wanted to snap back, when she heard footsteps nearing the door. "Wait," she murmured instead, "I believe, my dear Fabala, we have a guest!"

The Witch turned to face the person in question as she entered the room, and Elphaba's spirit screamed inside her.

_Glinda!_

"Lady Glinda!" said The Witch in mock surprise. "This is indeed an unparalleled delight! I had rather hoped that you would come! And now my wish comes true."

"Free her, Nessarose," demanded Glinda, oddly calm. Was it perhaps because she knew her friend was not this madwoman who now stood facing her with flashing grey eyes? "Have you no pity? Free her!"

"Oh Fabala," drawled the Witch. "Your friend makes a passionate plea."

Glinda narrowed her eyes. "Nessa, someone has to say it, but you are out of control."

"I AM IN COMPLETE CONTROL!" yelled the Witch, tired of her facade. "I am the Wicked Witch of the East and West combined! No one can stop me, so don't try Glinda!"

There was a heavy silence that followed her outburst, with the two witches glaring at each other with seemingly enough heat to boil a chicken.

Then Glinda descended the stairs slowly, feeling the Witch's grey eyes on her with every step. "_Unlimited, together we're unlimited..."_**_  
_**

The Witch began to cackle in amusement. "And what do you think you're doing?"

_"Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been..."_

_"Glinda..." _The Witch gasped as the word escaped her mouth. The grin began to fade from her features as rapidly as it came.

Glinda perked up her chin. She knew that Nessa hadn't been the one who said that.

_"Dreams the way we've planned 'em," _ she continued to sing. "_If we work in tandem..."_

Glinda was now close enough to notice every detail of the Witch's facial features, and with growing anticipation she watched as the Witch's pupils flicker between grey and blue, like a storm and ocean clashing in battle. _Come on, Elphie..._

_"T-there's no f-fight we c-cannot win..." _The Witch stuttered out. "No!"

"Ye - !" Glinda nearly whooped, but shut her lips before the full word slipped out. She couldn't stop now.

_"Just you and I, defying gravity!" _They sang, their voices joining together in perfect melody. "_With you and I, defying gravit -_ Oh my Oz!"

Glinda yelped in fear as the Witch's body began to convulse, collapsing upon the stone floor in a heap of black and green. The color of her pupils was going crazy now, the switches keeping time to the speed of the convulsions, before her eyes eventually rolled up, till Glinda only saw the whites.

Then she was still. Her eyes closed, making her look as if she were in the midst of a peaceful slumber on that stone cold floor.

Tentatively, Glinda stepped forward. "E-Elphie?"

The green witch gave no response. Yet, Glinda noticed something in the next few seconds of eerie silence.

Elphaba wasn't breathing.

* * *

**A/N: I know, my chapters are gettin' shorter... *absconds behind sofa* **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I now see what Elphaba-WWW meant when she said Maddy can be really scary. So here's an update :)**

* * *

The path to Kiamo Ko was not a joy ride at all. It wasn't only treacherous, but also dark. Very, very dark.

Tree branches hung down like wisps of shadows, grasping for them as if to pull the company into darkness. Brrr jumped at every owl hoot, every twig snapped, every bush rustled. But this didn't deter the Cowardly Lion from pushing on to save Dorothy.

Boq was less transparent when it came to fear of the dark. He marched on with his tin nose in the air, his axe raised defiantly. However he had no heart to feel the same soul-wrenching blackness, so Fiyero supposed he wouldn't feel as distraught as his companions did, with his head full of animosity for Nessarose.

Fiyero just trudged alongside Boq and Brrr, who were much more bent on reaching the castle than he was. He didn't know how much time Glinda needed to figure something out, but he hoped she'd done it soon.

If she was still alive and breathing, he prayed...not knowing, that he was praying for the wrong witch.

* * *

"Holy Shiz, come on Elphaba! Breathe, you need air! All living things need food water and _air_ to survive - Oz am I that desperate to recite _science? _Come on! Damn you Elphaba! Oh no did I just say that? Lurline, _l__ive_ Elphaba!"

Glinda broke down into tears at last, sprawling over Elphaba's still form and burying her face in the green witch's drabs. "I'm so sorry, Elphie, I'm so sorry..."

She looked up, shivering in the darkness that embraced the room. She hadn't noticed how dimly lit the room was with her attention drawn on Nessa, but now she saw the only light in the room came from a flickering torch and the moonlight that streamed in from the window. All was tranquil and quiet. Well, not really quiet, but neither was it the sort of quietness like the slight rustle of a leaf, or a turning of a page. It was a tomblike tranquility, like the eerie moan of a wind and the mysterious hooting of a hidden owl. Glinda now realized that it was not darkness that surrounded her, but black emptiness, like a void of dismay and vaccum of anguish.

Yet Glinda would not fret over such self fears of the melancholy the night reaped. She knew Elphaba had plunged into even deeper waters far too great to overcome, and she wondered if Elphaba had foreseen her drowning.

"No!" Glinda scolded herself aloud. "Elphie hasn't drowned...she's still there...she still there...Ozdammit look at you, Glinda the Encouraging, being all pessimistic, look at you shaking! You should be embarrassed! You're not a little girl, don't be so...pathetic!"

She glanced down at Elphaba's lifeless body once more, racking her brains for ideas. Come on, what would people in this situation do?

They...they...

* * *

For how long she'd been fighting, Elphaba had no idea. She could only sense her wearied soul pushing against a force, the roar of a powerful source of black magic that seemed to strangle her spirit like silky, deadly tendrils of evil. She was gasping for light, and though her struggle seemed to ensue for an eternity, she could never fully be rid of that thirst for light. Voices surrounded her, yet they weren't voices, more like shadows of hisses that stabbed her soul, taunting and jeering.

Could she ever escape this black, onimous darkness? Was this the apocalypse of her inner being?

Her outer being belonged to Nessarose now. Elphaba had never looked into the ways of black magic - hell, she'd succumb to martyrdom before she studied that sinful magic - or spiritual physics, but she knew that it was impossible for a body to host two clashing souls. It was either they merged, and now that Elphaba knew of her sister's twisted ways, she refused to become one with Nessa. However, the other condition was that one soul must fall.

Elphaba was pretty convinced she was on the losing end.

The darkness around her closed in, a chill slicing through her as despair began to weigh down on her. Desperation had long fled her, for there seemed no rescuer to be desperate for.

Or was there?

In her world of blackness, in the hallows of her stark struggle, something stirred. Through her battles with her outer being, she felt a disturbance.

A good disturbance.

The hisses around her were fading, and she felt herself drawn to one voice, and it wasn't Nessarose's. Though faint, Elphaba could hear it was the voice of a saving angel, a beacon of hope.

Why, Glinda, why?

As her friend sang, images began to flash through her mind's eye, visions of the moment of their friendship, the memory of the bond they shared.

Unlimited...

The hissing around her strengthened, perhaps Nessarose's attempts to enforce her spiritual defenses. Yet, Elphaba wasn't blind anymore, not with that bright light up ahead shining there for her to see. Her previous struggle had been merely a fight to protect herself, but now she was fighting in offense, hope - not desperation - returning within her, fueling her with enough power needed to momentarily overcome Nessarose .

She sensed Nessarose's will flicker with the momentary triumph, and Elphaba's will solidified, once more springing to existence from where it had been taken.

With a spiritual roar, Nessarose fought back, now channeling her magic into the inner war, but her resolution was weakened, and Elphaba's refreshed. The clash of this inner tempest was now louder than ever, the voices blaring but desperate, her own strong and confident.

_You'll never be rid of me, Fabala, no one can escape the past. Never the living past._

Then let me be the first.

With that resolute thought inculcated in her, she surged forward and burst into the light...

To find a pair of lips upon her own.

* * *

"Holy shit! Glinda, what the hell are you doing?!"

Glinda let out a scream as she was forced back as a pair of strong hands pushed her squarely in the chest. She sat there on the floor, too stunned to move, as her brain tried to process what had just happened. Elphaba dying...and then she'd tried to...

Oh Lurline help me.

Elphaba was now getting steadily to her feet, her gaze somewhat slightly disorientated, but they were blue.

Glinda would've tackled her in overwhelming happiness if the target hadn't been dead a few seconds ago. Her rump was stuck on the floor, her jaw dropping open once more.

The green witch brushed down the tattered gown, not taking her eyes off Glinda as she asked, "Your scream could've woken the dead, you know. And before I hug you and start thanking you for coming, I think I have a right to the explanation of why you were kissing me."

Glinda simply stared at her friend, too shocked to say anything.

"Glinda...quit the staring and speak!" Strange...where had she heard that before?

"My scream certainly woke the dead," Glinda finally murmured in awe. "Oh no, am I turning into a Necromancer?"

"What was that?"

"I tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to try and revive you..." stuttered Glinda, still dazed.

"Mouth-to-mouth?" repeated Elphaba incredulously. "Firstly, the first thing people would usually do to revive a person is cardiopulmonary resuscitation, not mouth-to-mouth. And secondly, I wasn't even dead to begin with."

"You weren't breathing for ten minutes."

"What?" Elphaba rounded on Glinda, eyes widening.

"I though you were dead, Elphie...I even started reciting science to see if that woke you up..." The very torment of the memory set off another round of sobbing.

But this round was different from the rest. This time, Glinda felt a pair of arms wrap around her, a voice quietly soothing her and telling her not to fret.

"It's alright, Glinda, I'm here now," whispered Elphaba, with a maternal note in her tone. "Nessa just forgot to keep my outer being functioning while she battled me inside, that's all."

"So you never left?" asked Glinda in between sniffles.

"Never," assured Elphaba.

"And what of Nessa?" asked Glinda timidly, as if the very mention of the name would set of an explosion.

"I don't know."

Glinda lifted her head. "What do you mean 'I don't know'?"

Elphaba blanched slightly, and in that split second, Glinda spotted a spark of grey amidst the blue eyes. She gasped as Elphaba nodded her head with grim seriousness.

"She's still there, Glinda. As long as I live, she lives."

Glinda felt something ugly stirring. "So...what are you going to do?"

Elphaba's eyes drifted to the bucket in the corner that stood collecting rainwater, and then to the door where past it, was Dorothy.

Glinda wasn't oblivious to her eye movement, and soon after realization hit, dread pierced her heart. "No..."

Elphaba met her gaze.

"Yes, Glinda," she said. "_Suicide._"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: ****_Ultimate Queen of Cliffies,_ I am still alive and well. But if it makes you happy, I was freaked out by Boo Radley after finishing chapter four of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ at 1am. ****_Galinda of Canada, _you go girl (FYI I am talking about you catching the ref, NOT about you screaming at me) :] w_oodland59, _thank you for not actually exploding on me. Hahaha alright on with the show._  
_**

* * *

Glinda blinked. "You're kidding right?"

Elphaba shook her head. "Serious as a grave, Glin."

"Lurline no don't say that!" Glinda gasped. "Miss Elphaba Thropp of Nest Hardings, you are not going to commit suicide on my watch!"

"Then don't watch," said Elphaba simply, taking up the bucket and putting it in position. She needed Dorothy to kill her and see her die herself, lest they thought she ran away. Killing herself before Dorothy confronted her would only make her look like more of a coward than the Cowardly Lion. 'Evil, mean witch kills herself in fear of being apprehended by a ten year old child' yeah, that'd be a nice touch to add to her ego as Oz's most feared, ruthless, tyrannical Wicked Witch of the West.

"I can't leave, Elphie please..." begged Glinda, but the green witch would not listen. She grabbed Glinda fiercely by the elbow, thrusting her out of the room, followed by a rather heavy leather-bound Grimmerie, which Glinda stared at in wide-eyed shock. "Elphaba, you know I can't read this..."

"Then you've got to learn," said Elphaba. "Look, whatever you do, don't clear my name."

"What? No!"

"Promise me, Glinda, as my dying wish!"

"Elphie, I - "

"Promise!"

"I...I p-promise..." stammered Glinda finally. Why did she say that? "But Elphie - "

"Glinda, Nessa's getting stronger inside my head, I don't have enough power..." Suddenly Elphaba collapsed against the doorframe, weak from the spiritual tempest. "...to overcome Nessa...once she takes me again...I won't be able to break free anymore...I've got to do this for your safety...for everyone's safety."

Glinda clutched Elphaba's green gangly arms, her eyes now filling up with tears. "Lurline, why must you be so stubbornly thoughtful of others? Why can't you be selfish for once?" she cried, "Why can't you be like me?"

"Glinda, you're not selfish..." said Elphaba meekly, breathing heavily as if trying to stay conscious. "You're the most generous, caring, big-hearted, optimistic person I've ever met. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

"You were exaggerating, Elphie," said Glinda, with a dry laugh. "But I'll be all that for you, if it'll make you happy."

"I'll be over the moon," replied Elphaba with a smile. "But I've already done that, because I wasn't exaggerating one bit."

Glinda returned the smile sadly, and dove into a hug. "There's so much we could've done...and only now when we're at the end do we realize how much we've missed."

"Don't think that, Glinda," said Elphaba, pulling back leaning against the doorway. "Don't think about the way things might've been, Glin. Think of all the things we've shared and seen instead."

"If only 'sorry' could turn back time..." whispered Glinda miserably.

"I wouldn't be your friend today," finished Elphaba. "Things happen for a reason, Glin."

Before Glinda could reply, Elphaba doubled over, pain written across her face.

"Go Glinda!" she gasped. "Go now and leave me!"

"No!" cried Glinda. "Please...Elphaba you can do it! Don't leave me!"

Seeing Glinda's obstinate refusal to move, Elphaba whistled for Chistery, who came at once. His mistress bent down, whispered something into his ear, and before she knew it, Glinda was being dragged off in a flurry of wings and fur.

"NO!" she screamed out in anguish, kicking furiously. "NO! _Elphaba please!_ PLEASE DON'T! ELPHABA!"

Elphaba watched expressionlessly as the blonde screamed and kicked and cried as she was torn from her friend, a pang of agony shooting through her. Unable to bear the prospect of seeing her friend's state of agony any longer, she turned her back and slammed the door.

"_They'll never bring us down," _Elphaba finished, wishing the statement could've been true.

_Alright, Nessa? You win._

And she fell back into the darkness.

* * *

They were at the castle gates. Had Glinda succeeded? Or was she being held captive by the Witch? Or worse, already...dead?

Screwing up his courage, Fiyero pushed aside his doubts and entered the castle with his two companions. It was strangely empty...but that only made it even more foreboding. With shadows lurking in every corridor, unseen presences vanishing at every corner. Fiyero had known every nook, every room in this castle when he was a kid, yet now it seemed...alien to him.

They found Dorothy locked in the East Tower, where she was huddled in a corner, with no more tears to weep.

"Dorothy!" cried Brrr, rushing over to her and nudging her up. Boq followed suit and helped Dorothy off the floor.

"S-she's got...she's g-got..." started Dorothy, trembling all over. "S-she's got Glinda!"

"What?" Fiyero strode over in a furious rush. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I heard screaming downstairs!" blurted Dorothy. "It sounded like Glinda's!"

It's funny how a Scarecrow could dash out of the room after slowly wobbling his way down the Yellow Brick Road. But Fiyero did just that, determined to save his friend at all cost.

* * *

Glinda screamed until she lost her voice, kicked at the door until her toes broke, pounded at it till her fist had splinters, scratched it till her fingernails bled. She even slammed her whole body weight against the door multiple times, but it only served to dislocate her shoulder eventually.

Exhausted and broken, Glinda sunk to the floor in a helpless mess, wiping her tears with a bloodied hand, not even trying to ignore her screaming toes, her aching shoulder, or her throbbing hands. No injury compared to the injury of her soul. It hurt...it hurt so much...just the very thought of never seeing that radiant green face, or hearing that satirical chuckle, broke her heart into a thousand pieces.

Then there was a loud bang on the door, but not from her side of it. It was from outside.

Glinda backed away from the door, thank her sensibility, for it came flying open with a crash, showering her in wood splints and dust. Any other time, she would've screamed her head off at the dirt on her dress, but considering now her gown was already in tatters from her struggle, she didn't care less.

She looked at her rescuer, panting and heaving at the doorway.

"Fiyero?" she rasped, her throat dry from screaming.

"Glinda!" he cried, rushing over and kneeling down beside her. Upon seeing the mess she was in, his eyes widened in disbelief. "What...what happened to you? What did she do to you? Oh my Oz, that is not the way toes should bend..."

Glinda laughed dryly. "Oh, don't worry. I did this to myself."

"What?" exclaimed Fiyero, surveying her in utter shock. "Why?"

"Elpha - " she began, but stopped, scrambling to her feet as if nothing were broken. "Oz, Fiyero, we have to save her!"

"Who?"

"Elphaba!" screamed Glinda, pushing past him and staggering out of the room. "She's going to – "

A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the castle.

" – kill herself."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I had problems starting this chapter, so yeah...but I managed to get the ball rolling eventually:] You guys can keep your pitchforks now, I shall be kind enough (to myself as well) and say that this is a cliffie-free chapter ;)**

* * *

In her life, Glinda had heard many screams.

She'd her mother scream at her when she didn't close her mouth when she was chewing, or about her sluggish posture.

She'd heard her teachers scream when she dozen off in the middle of class, or when Pfannee got bored and decided to pull a prank on them.

She'd heard her friends scream whenever she wore black, or when they thought latest fashion trends were, in their saying, 'a disgrace to the fashion world'.

And yet, despite her multiple experiences with screaming, Glinda felt as if this one scream had brought her whole world crashing down upon her. The scream of the Wicked Witch of the West, of Oz's worst tyrant...of her best friend Elphie.

It was as if someone had thrust a hot stoke into her heart, searing it till it became fragile enough to shatter like glass. But at the same time Glinda felt nothing but chilling numbness, like her heart had been struck by an icicle, cold and lethal.

"Elphaba!" she screamed, her vocal cords burning as the forced cry escaped her cracked lips.

She darted forward, pushing Fiyero roughly aside as she went. She had no orientation of this vast black stronghold, but she didn't care if she got lost in it for a decade, as long as she found Elphaba's chambers.

However, she made it no further than two steps, before a sharp pain shot through her feet, causing her to crumple to the ground. Unfortunately, the arm that instinctively shot out to support her fall happened to be her broken one, and she gave a yelp of anguish as it gave her another excruciating stab.

She was in so much pain...ripped inside out.

"Glinda, you're in no shape to walk!" cried out Fiyero as he rushed to her side.

"No! I've got to get to her!" said Glinda, tears flooding down her cheeks as she stumbled once more to her feet, only to fall again in agony. Fiyero supported her this time, grabbing her by the still-intact arm, to her relief.

"I'll take you there, Glin," he whispered softly. "But you've got to cooperate. Let me help."

Glinda was too tired to protest, she let him scoop her up into his arms, her head falling limply against his chest as he strode through the hallways at a quick pace.

"Glinda...you might need to take some time explaning," began Fiyero.

Glinda lifted her head weakly. "What? Why?"

"We'll need to pass through the dinning hall to get there," replied Fiyero. "And I think Dorothy and Co. might be there..."

"Oh." Glinda dropped her head in a weary sigh. Her head was still in a mess, and so was her appearance. She'd need to come up with something logical, and the only possible explanation was...

No, she couldn't, could she?

They burst into the room, and sure enough, Dorothy sat at one of the chairs sobbing (again) with Boq and Brrr at her side. Upon entering they looked up to meet the newly joined.

"Glinda!" cried Dorothy, springing from the chair. "Oh bless Uncle Henry's overalls what had she done to you?" She burst in tears again, much to Glinda's..._slight_ annoyance. How in Oz had Fiyero managed to stay with this wimp for more than two hours without socking the girl in the face?

"I'm fine Dorothy," she lied. "The Witch" - she flinched at the term - "didn't kill me."

Dorothy's eyes widened. "The Witch...oh I've killed 'er!" she cried, more tears wellin up in those big doe eyes. "I didn't mean to!"

"What exactly did you do, Dorothy?" pressed Fiyero, setting Glinda down on a chair for a moment.

"Oh, Scarecrow, it was terrible! She locked the Tin man and the Lion in the room and took me away! She was accusing me of stealing 'er shoes, and then 'er broom lit on fire, threatening to kill me! I...'er skirt...it caught fire...and I...I tried to help 'er put it out with the water..." The girl began to hyperventilate, her face turning slightly blue as she struggled to remain conscious.

"Dorothy...calm down," soothed Boq. "You've got to breathe..." Glinda shuddered as she remembered the circumstances when she had said simliar things to Elphaba.

Dorothy wiped her face and rubbed her already red nose. "She started smoking...I couldn't watch...I ran out of the room..."

The girl fainted.

"This must be my record for having so many people faint on me in one day," mumbled Fiyero.

* * *

The first thing that she registered was not the water that was dumped on her, but the screaming inside her head.

It was not one, but multiple screams, a cacphony of earpiercing sounds pounding in her mind. She could hear Nessarose's above all, and she could make out one other, faint but barely audible...Glinda's.

I'm so sorry, Glin.

The hisses were louder than ever, stabbing her soul like a thousand pinpricks. It felt as if her soul were being ripped to shreds, as if her mind were about to explode.

_You Delilah! Look what you've done! You - _

Game over, Nessarose, if you won't die, I'll die for you.

_I'm your sister! You can't do this! _Nessarose let out another scream of fury and agony, writhing in pain as her black spirit became engulfed in a burning inferno.

I can, thought Elphaba. A chill began to take over her, wrapping her in a icy embrace. Numbness crept through her body, the sounds in her head growing louder and louder until they were no softer than thunder. The noise was unbearable, and suddenly it was like a bright explosion of light, hurting her and burning her.

She heard Nessarose let out one final ear-shattering scream, like a condemned soldier in a desperate attempt to thrust a sword into the body of an enemy as he died.

And then everything was...quiet.

* * *

"Hurry up!"

"I'm already hurry uping, Glinda!"

"Hurrying up, Fiyero."

"Since when did you become a grammar Nazi?"

"What's a Nazi?"

"No clue."

"Oh my Oz..." Fiyero halted at the doorway, still carrying the broken blonde. The room was exactly how Glinda had left it, only there was now an overturned bucket, a charred broomstick, and a heap of black dress.

"Elphaba!" Glinda dropped out of Fiyero's arms, staggering over to the black heap. She turned it over, to find herself staring into the green face of Elphaba, black tresses falling over her closed eyes.

"Oh, Unnamed God..." Fiyero gasped as he fell to his knees beside her.

"Elphie...wake up!" sobbed Glinda, hugging Elphaba's limp body close to her chest, rocking back and forth. "Please! Stay with me! It's too soon to say goodbye...too soon..."

Outside, thunderous clouds rolled just over the mountain tops, growling darkly. The winds howled with cold menacing despair, the dark shadows of the trees swaying vigorously, as if dancing to the sad song of the air. It was as if the weather were a reflection of her inner self. She wanted to hate herself, she wanted to let the guilt crush her and snap her, and yet she wanted to stay strong for Elphaba, and be there for her friend.

"G-glin..." Had she not been holding Elphaba close, she might've missed it. But she didn't. She looked down in shock, finding Elphaba's long black lashes fluttering slightly, but wide enough to reveal...blue eyes.

"Oh, Lurline! Fiyero she's still alive!"

Fiyero choked. "What?" Glinda lay her down, to find her chest still barely moving up and down.

"Oh sweet Oz, barely," he murmured, checking her pulse, "it's faint, but it's there! Oh, Glinda, she's alive!"

"Cadiopulmary resurrection!" cried Glinda. "We gotta revive her!"

"You mean cardiopulmonary resuscitation?" asked Fiyero, and Glinda nodded eagerly. "Yes, we do, but how? I don't want to kill her doing it wrongly."

"There's a correct way of doing it?"

"I have no idea, I sleep during every life science lecture, but I vaguely remember Doctor Nikidik announcing a topic on emergency procedures before I dozed off."

Glinda smacked Fiyero on the head. "Damn you, Fiyero!"

"It's not a lost cause!" Fiyero said hurriedly. "We still have another person here that had surely been listening to the lecture."

"Fiyero, I didn't take life sciences in college -"

"No, I wasn't talking about you," Fiyero cut in.

"Then who -"

"I was talking about Boq."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Boq's chance to shine (metaphorically and literally)! Guess there goes your chance to throw water on his rump, _woodland59..._not that I wanna be a wet blanket :) **

* * *

"Why did Glinda go to the Witch's chamber?"

"She wanted to make sure she's dead," replied Boq, getting slight irked by Dorothy's bombard of questions. And slightly guilty at the lies he was feeding her too. He knew Elphaba had been something special to Glinda, and though his experience with the Thropp sisters hadn't been great, he still respected Glinda's relationship with the green girl. He felt horrible spinning more lies about it.

"But how is she dead?"

"Dorothy we've been through this - " began Boq, but was cut off when Fiyero came stumbling into the room.

"Boq!" he practically shouted. "We need you!"

"Boq?" questioned Dorothy, but Boq had already begun to ignore her. In fact, he'd ignored her after her fifth question on Glinda's absence.

"Why?" he asked.

Fiyero said nothing, but his eyes shot, _Just come, you dolt!_

Boq conformed, leaving Brrr to take Dorothy's incessant bombarding.

"What is it?" he whispered when they were out of earshot.

"Elphaba," replied Fiyero. "She's barely living."

"Barely?" questioned Boq.

"We need someone to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her, but I - "

"Was sleeping when we were taught and need me to do it," finished Boq.

"Is my head transparent?"

"Hollow," replied Boq.

* * *

"Fiyero, what the hell took you so long?" shrieked Glinda, wringing her hands agitatedly.

"I was only gone for a minute, Glin," replied Fiyero, bring Boq into the room. The tin man wasted no time in hurrying over the Elphaba, checking her pulse and breath rates.

"It felt like an eternity!" cried Glinda. It was true, it had only been a minute, and yet Glinda felt as if every second was torture, with her friend lying on the floor, barely conscious and on the brink of death.

Rain had begun to pound on the window, the wroth storm outside sending the trees into a violent dance. Lightning ripped through the sky, the blinding white flash lighting up the room, followed by the deafening shatter of the thunderclap.

But Glinda was not scared of the turbulent weather. She was only scared of Elphaba's death, something she desperately prayed was not imminent. She watched restlessly as Boq began to pump fervently, his face contorting into one of concern and persistent, determined to save the life of her friend.

"Come on, Elphaba, stay with me!" he said. "Even if Nessarose is going to come back with you I ain't going to give up on you. I know you can do it!"

He continued to pump, and Glinda felt her breathe rate increase with every pump. Soon she was holding her breath, until Fiyero had to come over and shake her out of her stupor - again.

"Tell me how you got locked in the room," suggested Fiyero.

Glinda gaped at him. "Now? Really, Fiyero? Your girlfriend us dying and you want to talk about how I broke my toes now?"

Both of them blanched; Glinda because of her final acceptance of their relationship, Fiyero because of the reminder of the situation's graveness.

"You won't help by getting all anxious and fainting," explained Fiyero, chewing his bottom lip. "We don't need another person requiring revival. So take your mind off it, Elphaba _will_ make it." His last words sounded as if they were more directed at himself.

"I...She told me that Nessarose wouldn't die if she didn't..." began Glinda.

"_She_ told you? Nessa or Elphaba?"

"Elphaba," replied Glinda, glancing nervously to where Elphaba lay, like an emerald sleeping beauty.

"But how did you manage to - "

"Talk to her?" finished Glinda. "Well, while I was racking my brains for ideas, I remembered what you told me - "

"What I told you?"

"Yes, you told me that till I try I'll never know. You didn't realize it, but it was exactly the same words Elphaba once said to me. It gave me a feeling of nostalgia - not that I wasn't also creeped out by the coincidence - and it reminded me of the bond we shared, me and Elphie. I tried to use it on Elphaba, quoting from a conversation we once had, when our friendship was still steadfast, hoping it'll reprive her will to fight. It worked, and Elphaba regained control, but only for a moment."

Fiyero remained silent throughout her explanation, feeling and overwhelming sense of admiration for the blonde, that she would hold her friendship so closely to her heart, that her precious memory would be the key to Elphaba's freedom, even if ony temporary.

"Her pulse has returned to normal!" announced Boq, straightening. "She hasn't woken up, but this is the best I can do."

Then, in a flurry of blue and blonde, Glinda tackled Boq with a hug, knocking him off balance. And before he could react, she kissed him. Fully on the lips.

"Boq, you did _wonderful!_" she said, blushing slightly as she pulled back. "You really are my hero."

Boq fainted.

Fiyero threw his hands up into the air. "_Really?_"

* * *

Dorothy still needed something to present the Wizard if she wanted to get home. Boq, Glinda, and Fiyero were all too kind to reveal that the Wizard had no real power, but they agreed to give her Elphaba's charred broomstick, seeing she would have no use for the damaged piece of wood anyway.

After Boq had painstakingly relocated her shoulder, cleaned her wounds and bandaged her up, Glinda insisted to stay behind to watch Elphaba while the others headed back to the Emerald City. Boq groaned at this, knowing he'd have to answer more of Dorothy's questions about the Good Witch's decision.

Elphaba was in a comatose for another two days, unmoving from the bed she slept on. Every hour was like agony to Glinda, and she slept, eat and watched from a chair in the corner, refusing to take her eyes off the green woman. In was a gloomy few days, with the looming grey clouds dominating the sky.

On the third day, Glinda awoke with a scream. Opposite her, the bed was empty.

She immediately burst into a frenzy, staggering through the castle, screaming Elphaba's name and many nicknames, causing the monkeys to jerk every time she passed, but she never found the green girl. Running a trembling hand through her locks, she contemplated scourging again, before the doorbell rang, and her eye twitching in annoyance, she went to open the door.

"Fiyero," she greeted.

"How is Elphaba?" he asked.

"Nice to see you to," said Glinda, her failed attempt at sarcasm revealing her nerves.

"Glinda..."

"She's missing!" cried Glinda, giving in. "I woke up this morning to find her bed empty! I looked all over the castle! Every room, every hallway. I even dared to go into those rotten cellars!"

"Glinda, calm down," soothed Fiyero. "If she's not in bed means she must've regained consciousness, which is a good sign."

"For all you know it might be Nessarose finally taking her and pulling her out of bed," muttered Glinda miserably.

"Glinda, don't be so pessimistic!" cried Fiyero. "Come on, even if she left she wouldn't have gone far. Let's check the rose garden or something."

Glinda obliged, letting him carry her to the garden; or what was left of it. A barren tree stood swaying silently in the wind, with no leaves to rustle. An abandoned oriole nest sat on one of the rough branches, robbed of song. Weeds were strewn all over the ground, with not a trace of life in the rock hard ground. The whole place smelt of death, and it wan't helping Glinda's depression.

"She's not here," whispered Glinda, downcast.

At that moment, a drizzle began, and Glinda began to wonder if she could actually control weather like Morrible, having the weather seem to read her feelings.

"Let's get back to shelter," said Fiyero, evidently trying to keep the disappointment out of his tone. "She won't be out here in this weather."

He picked her up once more, heading back to the entrance of the castle.

"What if we never find her, Fiyero?" asked Glinda shakily.

Then suddenly, a voice resounded from the doorway. "Yero?"

Fiyero nearly dropped Glinda in his shock. "Elphaba?"

"_Elphie?_" screeched Glinda.

"Glin?_"_

There, at the doorway, like a bright emerald beacon, stood Elphaba, her long raven hair tumbling over her shoulders. Her cerulean eyes widened when she saw Fiyero.

"_Fiyero?_" She stepped forward.

"Fae, don't come out, it's driz - "

However, before anyone could stop her, Elphaba's worn-out army boots shot out...

And green witch dashed forward into the rain.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm not a Fiyeraba fan, unlike most of you, but hopefully my snippet of it didn't turn out too badly...**

* * *

Many things happened at once.

Glinda screamed and promptly fainted in Fiyero's arms, just before he dropped her and began to scream as well.

"Fae what are you do - " he was tackled in the next second and sent sprawling onto the ground, with Elphaba on top of him...

With her dark _wet_ tresses falling on his face.

"Oh my Oz...Fae you're wet...you're not a big pile of gelatin...what the _hell_ is going on?"

Before he could react, her lips came crashing down on him, and immediately his insides went aflame, familiar warmth spreading through his body. It'd been a long time since he'd felt such sensation.

He didn't want it to end, but with his shock he could not continue. He pulled back, staring wide-eyed at the woman he just kissed, wondering if she was real.

Elphaba giggled, as she stroked his nose playfully. "Don't fret, Yero," she whispered. "I don't feel any pain."

"I'm dreaming," murmured Fiyero. "I'm dreaming. Someone pinch me I'm hallucinating! I'm going cra - "

There was a smack as Elphaba's hand made contact. It didn't hurt, but it sent Fiyero into an even bigger shock. His whole body stiffened, his eyes growing wide, and that was how Elphaba left him to cross over to where Glinda lay. She shook the blonde, only to recieve a smack on the face from the flailing arms as Glinda jerked awake, sat up, and began screaming.

"Elphie what are you doing here? Get out of the rain!" she yelled, waving her arms frantically.

"Glinda, don't worry," said Elphaba softly, attempting to mollify the panicking blonde. She stood, spreading her arms out, letting the rain pelt her. "A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now."

Glinda stared up at the green woman, unsure of what she was seeing. "Are you Nessarose?" she asked skeptically.

Elphaba laughed. It wasn't a cackle, merely a good hearty laugh. "No, Glinda, she's gone!" she cried. "For once, it's quiet. I can't quite explain it, but I feel free, at rest! Finally!" Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

"B-but the rain...you're in t-the rain..."

"I never was allergic, Glinda!" she laughed.

"What?" Both Glinda and Fiyero stared at her like she'd grown two heads.

"I wasn't allergic to water," repeated Elphaba.

"But...but I heard you scream..." stuttered Glinda.

"And Dorothy said you started smoking..." stammered Fiyero.

Seeing their confused states, Elphaba sighed and shook her head.

"Alright, this may sound ridiculous," she began slowly. "No, it _will_ sound ridiculous. But it's the truth. Believe me I'm still finding difficulty believing that she was the one who was allergic to water."

"_What?_"

"Who do you think spread the rumors in the first place?" asked Elphaba. "Nessarose was afraid that people would find out about her other defection, and shun her even more because she was different. She pushed the defection to me, seeing that I was already an outcast. I could do nothing about it, for I became a public enemy, and if I revealed her secret, it would only be seen as the Wicked Witch bullying her poor helpless sister."

The few moments following her explanation were ones of stunned silence.

And they were broken when Glinda lept up and slapped Elphaba across the face.

"You could've been nicer to tell me that before!" she screamed. "Before I broke my shoulder, my hands and my toes over your imminent 'death'!"

"Excuse me?" Now it was Elphaba's turn to be stunned, taking in Glinda's bandages for the first time. "Oh, Glin..."

"You're mean," sobbed Glinda. "You're really, really mean."

"I know," replied Elphaba, pulling the blonde into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Glinda whispered back. "I was the one who started this mess, anyways. It's my own fault I'm like this."

"Oh no, we are _not_ startin' this again, young lady," said Elphaba sternly, drawing back to stare at the blonde. "All this doesn't matter anymore, I thought we've long established that. The past is in the past."

"Can I just confess one more thing?" piped up Glinda. "Dorothy needed evidence that you were dead...so I gave her your broom ..."

Glinda trailed off uncertainly, expecting a smack, or perhaps a tirade, but not another bone-crushing hug.

"Oh Glinda...thank you," sighed Elphaba. Then she released the dazed blonde and began to dance around the courtyard. "I can live in peace at last! No more witch hunters, no more silent tears!" she sang. "No more running from daft and stupid men! I'm singing in the rain! Just singing in the rain! What a glorious feelin', I'm happy again!"

Fiyero and Glinda glanced at each other. Never had they seen Elphaba so happy before, so relaxed and carefree. Glinda had to admit it was a bit worrying to watch such a cheerful Elphaba dancing around, in contrast to her usual moody and tense behavior.

"Um...Elphaba?" called Fiyero. "I've also got some things to confess... and I don't think you'll like them."

"You can't stop my happiness, Fiyero," said Elphaba in a singsong voice. "Nothing will stop it -"

Just then, a scream pierced through the yard.

"Oh God, it's the freaking Wicked Witch of the West! She's come back from the dead! Glinda, Scarecrow, help me! She's going to kill me!"

The trio turned, to face a hysterical Dorothy who was screaming her head off.

"Seems I spoke too soon," muttered Elphaba, her mood plummeting as quickly as it had risen.

When neither Glinda nor Fiyero budged, Dorothy began to back away nervously.

"Oh no..." she said. "You're all under 'er spell aren't you?" The tears threatened to come on again. This time the three of them didn't suppress their sighs of annoyance.

"Dorothy, I swear if you cry I'm really going to blast you out of those shoes..." warned Elphaba, but was silenced by a glare from Glinda.

"Elphie, you are not helping your case," she shot.

"Dorothy, we're perfectly fine," Fiyero tried to explain, but the girl wouldn't have it. She covered her ears, shaking her head as she went, before breaking away into a sprint.

"Shiz someone'd better chop the legs of her before she starts screaming of my survival to the villagers!" cried Elphaba, "Damn her! She just has to ruin my life all the time, doesn't she?"

Glinda snapped her fingers. "Done."

"Done what? You chopped off her legs?" exclaimed Fiyero.

"No, pea-brain, I caught her."

"In what?"

"Bubble."

Elphaba smirked, folding her arms neatly. "For once, I admit bubble is better than broom."

"Yay!"

"For _once_."

"Let me go!" the wimp's cries snapped the women and the scarecrow back to the present, in where Dorothy was now trapped in a big pink bubble, pounding fruitlessly against the gooey texture.

"I like her like that," admitted Fiyero.

"No, I'd prefer my bubble to be a darker shade of pink, more...magenta," thought Glinda aloud.

"I'd prefer it to be opaque," argued Elphaba. "And soundproof," she added when Dorothy began bawling. "What is she even doing here?"

"She needs a way back," explained Fiyero. "She came here looking for Glinda to help...The Wizard took off without her..."

"The Wizard?" repeated Elphaba. "Took off? He's gone?" There was evident elation in her voice.

"Please leave Oz alone!" Dorothy wailed. "I can't give you back your shoes, I really can't! Glinda gave 'em to me!"

"And Glinda's asking you to give them back," answered Glinda.

"But you're under 'er spell!" cried Dorothy.

And it was in that moment that Elphaba couldn't take it anymore. She doubled over as she burst into guffaws, her laughter loud and infectious. Glinda began to giggle, as did Fiyero begin to chuckle.

"This...is the best joke ever," said Elphaba when she regain her composure for only a second, before diving into another fit of laughter.

"What my friend Elphaba is trying to say here," said Glinda, recovering, "Is firstly, she doesn't want to kill you. Secondly, she never wanted to take over Oz. And thirdly, she would never put us under her spell."

"Elphaba?" whispered Dorothy, her tone suddenly dropping, "That's 'er name?"

Elphaba straightened. "What about it?" she asked, the laughter in her voice gone.

"He...he mentioned it."

"He? Who?" questioned Elphaba.

"The Wizard. He kept on saying two names when we were in the balloon...one was Elphaba - yours, I suppose..."

Elphaba's eye twitched in annoyance at the sound of the preposterous man. "And the other?"

"Melena."

Her blood ran cold. How...?

"F-Fiyero..." she began, "What exactly was that confession you were going to make?"

* * *

**A/N: Was the Nessa-being-allergic explanation weird? Or _really_ weird?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Wow, I have never made it past 12 chapters for any of my fanfics. Thank you guyz for being so supportive of my story, however many pitchforks you wanted to throw at me *glances nervously at Maddy* Though it seems 13 ain't a very lucky number for me, considering how crappy this chapter turned out - at least I thought it was.**

**woodland59: I don't exactly not like Fiyeraba, just not as big a fan of it. I'm a proud Christine-basher, and actually a Dorothy-supporter (Even though i still make her look bad, I loved her in Out of Oz).**

* * *

"You did what?!"

"Elphaba, I - " Fiyero was cut off by a punch in the face.

"Just because we had a one-night stand doesn't mean you can take my stuff!" shrieked Elphaba.

"Fae, listen to me - " He fell silent as Elphaba socked him once more.

"What exactly did he take?" asked Glinda curiously, entering the room. "By the way, I've locked Dorothy in the guest room, if you don't mind."

"As long as it's far from here - " started Fiyero, but got another slap in the face.

"Don't try to avoid this conversation, Fiyero Tigelaar," Elphaba growled. "No one gets away with taking my mother's bottle."

"You took Elphie's bottle?!" screamed Glinda. Saying no more, she glided across the room and swiftly smacked him on the cheek.

"Will you quit that!" yelled Fiyero, nursing his cheek. "Just because I can't feel any pain doesn't mean you can just take advantage of it - Glin...what are you doing? "

Elphaba turned to stare at the blonde, who's face was now screwed up and mouth uttering unintelligible words. "Glin..."

She advanced no more than one step, when there was a blast of magic that sent her flying backwards, a burst of light blinding her. The light eventually dimmed, but before her eyes could even readjust, she heard a slap and a 'ouch!'

"Now I can really smack you for real," she heard Glinda say triumphantly.

"What in the name of Nikidik's knickers just happened?" Elphaba demanded, rubbing her sore eyes. Once they gradually adjusted back to the poor lighting of the room, she found herself staring at a grinning Glinda, and a..._human _Fiyero. With chestnut hair falling over his face, shining blue eyes that sparkled like the ocean, tall well-built stature and all.

"Sweet Oz," he gasped, examining his fingers. "Glinda, before I start smothering you in kisses, please tell me what the heck just happened."

"Well, I spent some time reading when Elphie was in a coma..." she began shyly.

"Glinda Upland, reading?" gasped Elphaba, feigning surprise. "I never thought I'd hear those two terms together in a sentence. And what exactly did you read?"

"The Grimmerie."

"What?" Elphaba felt her breath hitch in her throat. "You can read it? Oh Glinda that's...that's amazing!"

"It took me an hour to figure out one word though," said Glinda, somewhat discontentedly, "Whereas you can figure out a spell in half a minute. I spent forever learning that spell."

"A spell that actually does good!" said Elphaba, running over and kissing Fiyero on the lips. It was nice to feel the soft sensual touch again, that warm joy of the flesh. She felt Fiyero's tongue begin to grow restless, but a indignant clearing of throat forced it back into the owner.

"Erm...can you guys spare me and do me a favor?" asked Glinda, her voice trembling. "And not french kiss right in front of me!" She might have accepted their relationship, but it didn't mean her heart was fully healed yet.

Elphaba drew back in haste, not wanting to hurt her best friend more, muttering a quick sheepish apology, before Fiyero saw her green fist flying towards him again. Glinda couldn't resist the tug at the corner of her lips as his yelp of pain escaped.

"Ow! I thought we were over this!"

"Oh Glinda, you were right, it feels good to be able to actually sock him again," said Elphaba. "Now, where were we? Oh right, my mother's bottle!" She raised her fist once more, but this time Fiyero grabbed her wrist before it met his face.

"Elphaba, listen to me," he said sternly. "I know you're mad, but I have my reasons."

Elphaba stepped back and crossed her arms. "Alright, let's hear them then."

"Hold just a clock tick," interrupted Glinda. "Since I only just arrived, can I hear from the beginning?"

Fiyero cleared his throat nervously. "Well, it wasn't very long after Boq had steadied Elphaba's condition. I went to collect all her stuff that were strewn all over the room floor, and when I picked up the hat...well...you know what fell out of it." Elphaba's eye twitched irritably, as did her hands, as if she could strangle Fiyero any minute now.

"I do?" asked Glinda.

"Yes, a bottle green elixir. I've only seen one other before yours...when I was still Captain of the Guard."

"You have?" asked Elphaba, raising an eyebrow.

"He always carries this green bottle around when he attends conferences, exactly the same one as yours, Elphaba." The green witch visibly paled, not liking where this was leading.

"That's right..." added Glinda, her brow furrowing as if trying to remember something. "He's offered me some of it too."

"No...that's not possible Fiyero," said Elphaba, shaking her head. "There are probably many productions of that same green bottle."

Fiyero shrugged. "Maybe there is, but when I presented the bottle to him and told him of your connection to it, he cried, 'Melena!' and rose his arms as if to claw down the ceiling upon him. I'd had my early conclusions, Elphaba, about your skin and ability to read the Grimmerie so easily and all, I just needed to confirm them, so I presented the bottle to the Wizard."

"Since when did you have so much time to think, Fifi?" asked Glinda.

"Since I took that boring arduous trip down that damn long Yellow Brick Road. I still hate the Wizard for ordering an expansion of it, and yet giving no credit to the now rotting bones of those that had died building it."

"Since when did you know so much history?" asked Glinda in awe, as if she were seeing the man in a different light for the first time in forever.

"Since I started to try and impress Miss Elphaba," he said, without thinking, not realizing his mistake that stung Glinda's raw heart. Elphaba, however, noticed the tint of silver in Glinda eyes that were her tears, and wrapped a protective arm around her best friend.

"Fiyero, we aren't here to let you flaunt your knowledge on history," she said, hoping the man would get the hint. She made a mental note to talk to him about his empathy quotient later. Then she swallowed hard before asking, "What exactly did you conclude about me?" Fiyero shifted uncomfortably. The air was thick with tension, but everyone knew they had to get this over with now or never.

"You're a child of two realms, Fae," he said softly.

"What?!" Elphaba nearly blasted poor Glinda's eardrums with her sudden outburst.

"Your parents are from different realms, Elphaba," he repeated.

"That's impossible!" cried Elphaba. "Frexspar and Melena are both from Oz!"

"You're missing the point here, Fae," said Fiyero, as Glinda attempted to placate the agitated woman. "The Wizard saw the bottle, and he recognized it. He left because of you, Elphaba."

"_What?_" Whatever color that had been left drained from the girl's face.

"He left because he couldn't bear the thought that he'd 'killed' his own daughter."

There was deathly silence in the room for the next minute. Glinda and Fiyero both watched with dreaded anticipation as expressions flashed across her green face, all too fast and too dense to read her inner thoughts.

Then she spoke. "Yero?"

Fiyero took a tentative step forward. "Yes, Fae?"

"If I die, make sure that sick bastard stays away from my funeral."

Then within the next second, she was out cold.


	14. Chapter 14

"Let me get this straight. Elphie's dad is the Wizard."

"Uh huh."

"The Wizard's daughter is Elphie."

"Uh huh."

"Elphie's the Wizard's daughter."

"Uh...huh..."

"The Wizard is Elphie's daddy."

"Uh Glin..."

"Don't interrupt me, Fifi, getting my mind sorted out here is of upmost importance."

"Yeah, after Elphaba's dealing with the news," mumbled Fiyero. The green woman had been to quiet now, after an hour of holing herself up in her room and leaving her two friends restless in the dining room. But it was better than her blowing up the whole castle in rage, reasoned Fiyero. So they could only sit and wait till Elphaba had cleared her head. Well, at least Fiyero could; Glinda had been pacing around the room since she'd passed the half-an-hour mark. It was confounding to watch the blonde hobble around on her broken toes, not even wincing in pain.

"I'm worried for her, I really am," said Glinda, about to bite her nails, until she realized she didn't have any. "Oh my Oz what if she flew after the Wizard to kill him?"

"But what would it matter?" asked Fiyero. "He's a bastard, a womanizer, a...a..."

"Slippery, weasel-tongued, devil-spawned, bimbotic, egocentric, pathetic excuse for a man?" came a voice.

Glinda and Fiyero turned to face the source, finding her upon the staircase, leaning lazily against the railing.

"Fae!" exclaimed Fiyero, standing abruptly from his chair at the table.

"Yes, 'tis I," droned Elphaba.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," said Elphaba. "Maybe I feel ecstatic because I just got an hour to read in peace without you worrying over me and Glinda screaming for me to change out of my army boots."

"You were reading?" gasped Glinda. "I've been pacing around this room on my broken toes and worrying as you read?"

"Or," continued Elphaba, "I could feel like crap, after realizing I'm the damned daughter of the bleeding Wizard who has tried to kill me."

"You, aren't going to go all rabid on us, are you...?" asked Fiyero warily.

Elphaba laughed. "No, the only person I might go rabid on is the person in question himself. He is my father, but he will never be my dad. Frexspar was my dad, no matter how many daily beatings I got from him."

"He beat you?" demanded Fiyero, gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Calm down, Fiyero, the dude's already dead," said Glinda casually. "Don't you remember that report in the newspapers? Surely you didn't miss the front page with the big bold word of 'Frexspar the Godly: Death by Shame'?"

Elphaba felt a stab of guilt as the mention of the consequences of her reckless actions surfaced. No, she had not shed a single tear when she heard of her 'father's' death, but it didn't mean she had ignored the fact that she had caused it.

From below, Fiyero observed Elphaba. The usual green girl he knew would've come at Glinda with another snappy remark on reading, but now he only saw her hug herself and begin to sob slightly. Was it possible that she was mourning the man of her childhood torment?

"That's all I can do, isn't it?" asked Elphaba, to no one in particular. "Only able to drive my own parents to their graves."

Glinda put her hands on her hips. "Hey miss, what did we say about your mother?" she asked, with an air of authority. "It may be your secret - "

"But that doesn't make it true," Elphaba finished with Glinda. "I know, but it's just - "

Suddenly, there was screaming to be heard from the West Wing.

"The guest room is in the west wing, isn't it?" groaned Elphaba.

Fiyero gulped. "Yep..."

"Argh, fine, I'll deal with the farm rat," grumbled Elphaba, turning on her heel and exiting the room.

Glinda cast a dubious glance towards Fiyero. "I think you'd better go after her in case she decerebrates the girl."

"I don't even know what decerebration is," murmured Fiyero absentmindedly, but nonetheless obliged after the blonde stared him down.

* * *

The door was literally rattling when Elphaba reached it.

"Alright, you lil' siren, what do you want?" she demanded, somewhat impatiently.

"I...I need to pee!"

"Bloody Oz," muttered Elphaba.

Just then, down the corridor, she heard Fiyero's voice. "What does she want, Fae?"

"She needs to pe - do her business."

She heard a string of Vinkun curses echo down the hallway. "Fine!" she said exasperatingly. "I'll get her to the water closet!"

And so she unlocked the door with her skelton key, only to open it and find a bucket of water hurled in her face.

"W-What the -" Elphaba stood, bewildered, spluttering as a pair of pigtails whipped by after their owner. "Oh for crying out loud!"

There was a surprised 'oomph!" at the end of the corridor, followed by screams of 'let me go, you despicable stranger who eerily resembles Scarecrow!" before Fiyero emerged from around the corner carrying a screaming and kicking Dorothy.

"Fae, you alri - oh..."

"Seriously, I let the ten-year-old kid out of her room to piss and this is what she gives me!" huffed Elphaba, wringing the water from her damp raven hair. "Kids these days."

"You're not melting!" gasped Dorothy. "How? Why aren't you melting? Shouldn't you be dead in the first place? Not that I ever meant to kill you, no, I never meant to, but you're not melting! And Glinda's under yer control! Please, Miss Witch, I swear on Hunk's overalls that I'll be a good girl, just let 'er go!"

"Kid, even if I told you the truth you wouldn't believe me," said Elphaba, exasperated. "Who would believe that my sister possessed me and my father is that blinkin' Wizard?" She grunted as more water was wrung out from her skirts.

"Elphie? Fifi? Is everything alright?" came Glinda's voice. "I found Dodo running around. The poor girl's not decerebrated, is she?"

"I think we're more injured than her, Glin," returned Elphaba, flicking her wrists.

The blonde came into view carrying Toto, and halted as she took in the wet, irritated green witch, and the struggling Dorothy in Fiyero's strong hold. "I see..." she said slowly.

"Glinda! You must break free from the Witch's spell!" cried Dorothy. "Please!"

Glinda furrowed her brow, uncomprehending. "Elphie put a spell on me?" She gasped, her free hand flying to her hair. "Oh no! Don't tell me she turned my hair black!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, and Fiyero's face scrunched in attempt to stifle his laughter.

"So you know what decerberation is," he stated. "But not what Dorothy is quite heavily implying here."

"What was she implying?" asked Glinda curiously.

"That you were possessed," replied Elphaba flatly.

"Possessed?" shrieked Glinda; so loudly that Toto jerked in her arms. "Why on earth would I be possessed?"

"Because I'm the Wicked Witch of the West and you're Glinda the Good," answered Elphaba dryly. "And you're not making mush of me."

"Why would I make mush of my best friend?" cried Glinda.

Elphaba threw her hands into the air. "Why do I even bother?"

"You're best friends?" gasped Dorothy. "How?"

"Even I don't know," muttered Fiyero.

"Thing is, I am not possessed!" declared Glinda. "Elphie was the one who fell victim to possession."

"So it is true!" said Dorothy, turning to stare at Elphaba, somewhat in awe. "You were possessed! So are you really the Wizard's daughter?"

"Damn unfortunately so," mumbled Elphaba. "For a whinny girl who tried to kill me, you believe things pretty fast."

"Oh, I'm just a girl with a really farfetched imagination," said Dorothy timidly. "I suppose anything can happen in such a magical wonderful place as Oz."

The three Ozians exchanged glances. Dorothy's description was only of the jolly surface that hid the mess of the complex, dark politics of Oz; just of the mask she wore.

"Yes...I suppose anything can happen," said Elphaba, chewing her lip. Fiyero released his hold on the girl, seeing no use to keep it, and went to fetch Elphaba a towel.

"You know, you're pretty nice for a wicked witch," commented Dorothy, blushing at her courage to talk to the woman who had been her arch-nemesis a few minutes ago.

"I've seen worse," murmured Glinda, shuddering at the images of Elphaba in her delirious state. "It's a miracle she ain't setting your socks on fire for dumping water on her."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" apologized Dorothy. "But I was just so scared, and afraid, and...and..."

"Oh no, don't think that just because I'm being nice now means that you can release the tears," warned Elphaba as the girl's breath quickened. She sighed as Fiyero wrapped her in a warm towel, pecking her on the cheek affectionately. "And yes, I suppose I'm in better moods now that my problems are over." Looking down at the girl, she added with a hint of frustration, "Well, most problems."

"Isn't there a way you can send her back?" asked Fiyero. "It's all she's been talking about the whole day down that annoyingly yellow bricked road."

"How do you know that - " began Dorothy. She gave a surprised squeak. "You _were_ the Scarecrow, weren't you?" Her eyes only widened further when Fiyero nodded his head. "Oh God now you guys are just dropping bombs _everywhere_," she rubbed her temples furiously.

"And I'm surprised you aren't fainting under the explosions," muttered Fiyero.

"I can try to find a spell from the Grimmerie if you want," replied Elphaba. "But it might take a while."

"I can wait," said Dorothy cheerfully. "I waited once for Uncle Henry's runaway cows to come home; this will be a piece of cake."

At that moment, Elphaba sneezed.

"Yes...I suppose you can wait for Elphaba to get herself changed out of these damp clothes then," said Fiyero, wrapping a protective arm around Elphaba, instantly leading her away.

"Let me guess, the Wicked Witch of the West is the Scarecrow's girlfriend," assumed Dorothy, as she caught Fiyero planting another kiss on Elphaba's wet cheek. "Never could've imagined."

"Me neither," confessed Glinda, watching the pair walked down the passage into the distance.

"I hafta admit, they're kinda cute together," said Dorothy. She smiled gaily.

"Yes," agreed the Good Witch, absentmindedly stroking Toto's fur. "They deserve each other."

Her smile was genuine.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to all those who wanted Elphaba to go rabid :[ Hahaha hope ya'll had a merry Christmas! My brain just wasn't functioning for this story for a while, but it's still alive :) IITT'S ALIIIIVE! Ö**


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